When a Tornado Meets a Volcano
by onelildustbunni
Summary: AU. Upon returning to Xavier's, Laura Kinney finds that not everything is the same...or what it seems. New X-men; Hellion and X-23
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** When a Tornado Meets a Volcano  
><strong>Universe: <strong>AU/ 616 based  
><strong>Type: <strong>Romance/Comedy/Drama  
><strong>Pairing: <strong>Hellion/X-23

**_SUMMARY: _**AU. Upon returning to Xavier's, Laura Kinney finds that not everything is the same...or what it seems. New X-men; Hellion and X-23

_****A/N: ****_

__An AU take based off the 616 universe. Laura Kinney is written in my "Helix" series style (the reason for which is explained later in the story). Yes, I'm aware she is not in her usual character. This  
>is an <em><strong>Alternate Universe<strong>_. All other characters are basically the same. Story present is set on Utopia. Events are rearranged, for reasons that will become apparent later. Don't worry, any questions  
>you may have will be answered as the story progresses. This story was inspired by me wanting to find out: how would Helix Laura handle Julian's being crippled? The answer is not what you might<br>expect. Title of the song is taken from a line I love in: "Love the way you lie" by Eminem ft. Rihanna (simply awesome song, check it out!), where he's talking about a violent relationship, and he  
>says: "Guess that's what happens when a tornado meets a volcano!" and I was like <em><strong>BAM! <strong>_that is so Helix! Well, hope you enjoy! I have this story written in its entirety so updates will be regular.  
>Watch for another story coming out soon called "Walk the Line" (another dystopia I had brewin'...) ~onelildustbunni<p>

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 1-<strong>_

* * *

><p>"So."<p>

"So."

The two mutants eye each other up and down, the man and the woman, the elder and the younger, the original and the clone.

In other words, Wolverine and X-23.

Both noses are wrinkled.

"_So._"

"_So._"

Logan looks annoyed. "So you've come crawlin' back, huh?"

The girl tilts her head. He's talking about the way she just upped and left last time.

She had gotten tired of all the shit. Most of the other students had been a pain; her mentor and friend—Psylocke—had passed away—and then Rachel had left.

So she'd left too. And spent a wonderful two years serving tables and assassinating people to support herself. Laura sometimes stops to wonder about the bizarre contrast of her vocations.

"I'd hardly call this crawling. If anyone's been forced into submission here…" Laura reaches out and pats the steel wall.

"Lot of stuff happened that we had no choice over, half-pint," Logan says. "You weren't here. You didn't help us. Why should we take you back now?"

"Coz' I'm broke?" she counters.

"Serious time, Laura."

"Fine. I think Big Bitch is after me again." Laura looks away casually. "I kind of got my fingers into a pie that I probably should have left alone, but—"

"Great." Logan knows the girl means _Kimura, _her handler at the facility—a truly insane and dangerous woman. "I love how the first thing you do is come _here_ so she can have her pick of kids to torture. Didn't I tell you to _call_ if you saw her again?"

"In my defense, I didn't actually see her," Laura says. "And I'm more than sure she'll pick me. I'm like her star pupil."

"What a relief." Logan runs a hand through his hair. "Half-pint, you know you're always welcome here. But I wish you wouldn't just drop off the face of the earth an' give me a heart attack like that."

"You have a healing factor."

Logan just gives her a _look._

"Okay, okay. Holy _jeez. _If it worried you that much, why didn't you hunt me down yourself?"

"Kid—does the fact that we're living on an _island_ now even register with you? I had my own flamin' hands full just keepin' up as it was. I care about you, but beyond calling your cell a bunch of times, I can't be your keeper. It's a two way street."

Laura looks petulant. "Sorry."

"Apology accepted." Logan pauses. "Let's go find Cyke and get you a room. You'll probably have to share again…we're pretty packed in here."

As they exit the room, Laura pauses. "Hang on. You said there were heavy losses, right? Like in the double digits?"

Logan nods, uncertain of what's coming. Instead of a look of fear on Laura's expressive face, there is a radiant, excited, happy look—like she's extremely hopeful.

"_Please_ tell me Keller bought the farm," she says.

He sighs, shakes his head. "Laura—"

"_Please." _

"You can't just—"

"It could be your belated birthday gift to me. Come to think of it, X-mas gift, too."

"I _gave _you stuff. And you can't just hope people die, Laura. That's not how we do things around here. These are the last mutants on earth…these people are our _blood._"

Laura looks gleeful. "Was there a lot of blood? Oh my god, _he got blown up! _Tell me it's true!"

"No. He's still around here somewhere."

"God _dammit_!" Laura kicks the wall, her expression furious. "All that death, and that little shit _makes _it?" She pauses. "Would they notice if I—"

"Yes, Laura."

"It'd just take one claw."

Logan gives her the _look _again.

"I hate you, and I want to leave again," she says, sulkily.

"Come on, kid." Logan finally allows a grin to slip through. He pats her shoulder.

**…**

"She is immoral. I will _not_ have her on this island," Emma Frost says, glaring at Logan and his cursed clone. The girl keeps popping up here and there, a liability to all concerned—and a safety hazard. She is certifiably insane. She's argued with Scott night after night that X-23 should be turned in to the authorities, instead of being allowed to roam lose, murdering whoever she pleases.

Scott always points out that she only kills on contract—and that there are plenty of other assassins in the world, even ones that work for the Government—and no one turns _them_ in. The girl would only become a weapon to be used by H.A.M.M.E.R., possibly against the mutants of Utopia.

"She's one of us," Logan says, his hand on the girl's back. Laura is staring back at Emma innocently, but she sees the insolence in her eyes—the challenge.

She seethes.

"We have room for her," Scott says, smiling at Laura warmly. "Would you be okay bunking with Surge?"

"Sure, why the hell not?" Laura says, with an easy shrug. "She wasn't too annoying last time. Least she has good taste."

"Alright then, consider the matter settled," Scott says, ignoring Emma and the almost-visible clouds of steam shooting from her ears.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2-  
><strong>_

* * *

><p><em>Knock knock. <em>

Eighteen-year-old Noriko Ashida looks up from her book at her door with a puzzled frown. Who could it be? Most people don't knock on each other's doors, as they tend to gather at the common room when they're ready to hang out.

"It's open," she calls.

And her jaw drops as the door opens—and reveals someone she'd _never _expected to see again—Laura Kinney, Wolverine's clone. Her old friend.

Old friends were treasured nowadays, seeing as they were so expendable. Nori has kept count; over sixty of her friends have expired since M-day.

"_**LAURA!" **_she cries, almost knocking her chair over as she zips towards the girl and throws her arms around her. "Omigodwherethehellhaveyoubeen?"

"Breathe!" Laura gasps, both as advice and a request. Nori loosens her grip, steps back and grins. "You curled your hair!"

"More like it got ripped out by the roots and grew back in curly, but yeah I see what you're saying," Laura says nonchalantly. "I hear things have been a little hectic here."

Nori opens her mouth. "I really don't know how to describe it."

"If you're happy to see _me, _things must've been god-awful," Laura says, half jokingly.

"Things got so bad, I'm happy to see _anyone_I knew before. Even Keller."

Laura blanches. "Go. Wash your mouth out with soap, _right now._"

Nori grins. "I _missed _you!"

"I hear you can catch STD's by saying his name," Laura adds. "It baffles me that he survived. I figured he was next on God's grand hit list."

"Actually, Keller's changed," Nori says, a little more quietly. "We all have."

"Well, I haven't. Say, where can I put my stuff?"

"You're _staying?" _

"Hell yeah. Tired of scrounging up the rent on a job that pays like two pennies an hour." Laura grins, seeing Nori's delighted expression. "I'm your new roomie, by the way. I like to leave laundry and dishes everywhere I go, I'll never fail to leave the lights on and the faucet running, and I plan on using your computer to browse gay porn sites."

"Awesome!" Nori says, then more seriously: "I'm so glad you're back."

"Glad to _be_ back," Laura says.

…

"This is _it?_" Laura asks, staring at the entertainment system in the common room. "What happened to the other two TV's?"

"They got blown up," Nori says. "And we don't really have space for that anymore."

"I saw a bunch of empty fields. I'd call that wasted space, unless you're trying to grow more TV's."

"Food," Nori says. "We're on an island now. We need to be self supporting, in case we can't get to the mainland." She pauses. "A little while ago, we were really glad we had stores. Utopia got surrounded in this big red bubble, and we were under siege for, like, four days. It was absolutely horrible."

"Sounds lame. Did you try teleporting some pizza in?"

"We tried everything."

Strained silence, for a moment. Laura feeling bad for not being there—at the same time as she was grateful she hadn't been—and Nori wondering why Laura had left, and what it must have been like to _not _experience the hell they'd been through.

The door to the commons' room opens, and two girls enter. One has a metallic appearance, and the other has bright pink hair. And wings that flutter spastically as she spots Laura.

"OMIGOD!" she squeals. "It's X!"

Laura suddenly finds herself the target of a million questions. The girls' enthusiasm puzzles her, as they had always spoken badly of her before, and had avoided her at the school. She knows she has an abrasive personality, and many people can't handle her rude sense of humor.

So why this?

"Did you go back to New York?" Pixie asks.

"Have you seen Norman Osborne?" This from Cessily.

"Omigod—did you meet _Kimura _again?"

"Have you had any Sentinel attacks?"

"_We _got attacked, and—"

"We lost _a lot _of people, Laura—"

"_HEY! _Have I showed you my soul dagger yet?"

"One at a time," Laura says. "But yes, no, no, yes, and no."

The girls blink, confused. Nori grins.

"Are you here to stay?" Cessily asks.

"For a while, yeah," Laura answers.

**…**

"Laura!"

The girl turns, and pales.

"B-betsy?" she asks.

Psylocke smiles. "It's been a long time."

"But—how?"

"It's complicated. But it has to do with the clone of Jean Grey."

"Fucking clones," Laura says. They embrace briefly.

"You've grown!" Betsy says warmly.

"Hopefully you mean upwards, not sideways," Laura says.

"You silly goose." Psylocke ruffles her hair. "I'm glad you've decided to give us another go, Laura. I think you'll learn more about yourself."

"That's the plan. Right on the top of my to-do list." Laura has always felt comfortable talking to Betsy, perhaps because she too is an assassin, and does not judge the girl for her past and current deeds.

"Are you going to stay this time?" Betsy asks.

"I don't know yet," Laura says. "Depends on how interesting it is here."

"Oh, it's pretty interesting. Right now, Hank's working on a cure for the M-day depowerment, Cyclops is making battle plans for easing the damage Bastion's minions have wrought in the political arena…and me and the gang are going out to investigate some rumors of an underground lowlife mutant-profiteering ring."

"Cool. Can I come?" Laura asks.

"I wish it were up to me, sweety. I doubt Cyclops would agree to that, just now. He's jumpy about who comes with us on these missions." She pauses. "We have to be really careful about who we kill, in this tense climate."

"Oh." Laura seems disappointed.

"We can hang out and talk after, though!" Betsy says. "By the way, I love your hair. Curls suit you. How did you do it?"

"Let someone get a good hold of my ponytail," Laura answers. "Hurt like a motherfucker."

"Oh," Betsy says, then she grins. "Only you, Laura."

**…**

Later that evening, Nori is already snoring, while Laura lays awake in bed, looking at the unfamiliar metal ceiling above her. Is she doing the right thing by being here? Should she just face her demons—Kimura—on her own? She feels guilty for not being here when she could have helped, in what seems to have been the X-men's darkest hour.

She bites her lip and tries to shut her brain off, so she can get some sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: **_Thanks for reviews guys! Glad to see people are enjoying it...and anticipating! :-) 

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 3-<br>**_

* * *

><p>It's on Laura's fifth day here that it happens: in the cafeteria, she runs into the person she'd been hoping would no longer exist.<p>

She is in the middle of a sentence to Nori when a familiar, vaguely repulsive odor hits her nose, and she closes her eyes.

_Shit. _

"Hey, Nori," Keller says, in what seems to be a friendly voice. Laura's eyebrows shoot straight up, and she looks around her chair in confusion. She didn't know he was _capable _of making friendly noises.

"Wha—_Laura?" _he asks, looking just as surprised, but for different reasons.

They stare at each other for a moment.

"Is some one mind-controlling him?" Laura asks.

"No," Nori says, "I told you, he—"

"That's _not_ Keller, then."

"What—"

"Is he a clone?"

"No—"

"Is that an imposter? Wait—no—he's got that awful smell to him…no imposter would be willing to go through the effort."

"Jeez, to hell with you, clone," Keller says.

"It's talking to me, Nori," Laura says.

"Laura, be _nice_to him," Nori hisses.

Silence.

"I don't need your pity," Keller says, his voice much colder. Laura blinks, knowing she is missing something; then her eyes suddenly take in the fact that his arms end at his wrists, in bandaged stumps.

"Oh God _damn_ it!" Laura blurts, looking annoyed. "I swore that I would be the one to make the first cut. That's what happens when you wait, I guess."

**…**

"Her first week here, and she's already destroying property and endangering lives!" Emma rages, shaking a pointed finger in Laura's direction as she shouts at Cyclops.

The five are standing in the Council room, discussing the punishment that will befall the two students who engaged in a bitter fight in the school's cafeteria. Those present include the aforementioned Laura, Emma and Scott, as well as Logan, and the other perpetrator of the fight, Julian Keller.

Laura's covered in blood (although her skin is unbroken), and Keller is sporting a black eye and a fat lip. Both are still shooting venomous glances at each other, and might have continued fighting if Logan had not restrained Laura with a hand on each shoulder.

"I'm sure there's an explanation for this," Cyclops says grimly. "Laura, what do you have to say for yourself?"

"I needed some shark chum, and Keller happened to be nearby—" Laura starts, but is stopped by Logan squeezing her shoulders. "The truth, half-pint."

"I voted him off the island?"

"Try again."

"His B.O. of the day happened to match the exact chemicals in my trigger scent—"

"_Laura,_" Cyclops says, although his eyes seem to show his amusement. Emma looks more furious, if that is possible.

She falls silent.

"Well, I guess the only thing we can do is teach you to cooperate in the future," he says. "This is an island, and there isn't room for fights of this nature. You have to learn to tolerate and respect each other." Cyclops pauses. "Two weeks of community service should do it. Oh, and you have to work together."

"_**WHAT? **_" Laura gasps.

Keller looks equally disturbed.

"I'm sure, at the very least, you'll learn to avoid scenes like this from now on." Cyclops thinks for a moment. "You can start by cleaning all the rest rooms."

"You're joking," Keller says.

"Nope."

"I can't—" the boy starts.

"Sure you can. You didn't let your hands stop you from getting in a fight, did you?"

"_Hah!_" Laura says, then she pauses. "Wait—the toilets? I can't, you know I'll throw up if you make me do those."

"You'll have to work that out between the two of you," Cyclops says.

Logan pushes Laura towards the door. "Get crackin'. I'll check on them in an hour. Those toilets better be so shiny that I can see my reflection."

"Why would you want to use a _toilet_? There are mirrors for that!" Laura protests, but the decision has been made, and Logan waves her off. "One _hour,_ clone," he reminds her.

**…**

The two teens are silent as they head towards the lavatories.

Until Keller starts talking. "You stupid, stuck-up bitch. If you could've just kept your mouth shut…I wouldn't have gotten so mad."

"It takes two to have a smack down," Laura reminds him, her lip curled. They pass three identical blond girls, who stop in their tracks and stare openly at the pair, surprised by the intensity of the animosity between them.

"Why would anyone _bother _making you? That's the part that gets me." Keller takes one of his arm stumps out of his pocket. "I mean, with regular kids—yeah, okay, if they're worthless pieces of crap, it's no one's fault—but you were _designed. _By _scientists. _I just don't get it." They stop, outside the first restroom on the piece of paper handed to them by Cyclops. Keller makes a movement to rub his forehead, then his expression changes to one of annoyance as he realizes his hand is no longer there.

"There's a lot of things you don't get." Laura grins, watching his arm pointedly.

Keller shoves the stump back in his pocket. "Fuck you."

"Why don't you flip me off?" she taunts. Keller's eyes turn green, and suddenly her hand is forced into an unnatural position—bent towards herself—and her fingers are curled into a fist. All except one.

"Why bother when you can do it to yourself?" he responds.

"That's so clever," Laura says scornfully. Her hand is released, and she flexes it, feeling the bones click slightly in her wrist as they realign themselves. "Remind me why you're still single. Or did that chick you harassed finally give in and give you a pity fuck?"

Keller scowls. "She's gone."

Laura suddenly feels bad. "She snuffed it?" she asks.

"She left," Keller says. "Like you did. Just before everything went to hell. So don't be surprised if some people aren't rolling out the welcome wagon for you."

Laura bristles. He's just spoken aloud what everyone has been thinking, but is too polite to say. What _she's _been thinking.

"Let's just get on with the job," she mumbles.

**…**

"_**HYYYURRRKKK!**_" Laura says, a few moments after they have walked in. "_**URRRK, URRM, BLEAH!**_"

"You didn't," Keller says, his voice full of loathing.

Laura looks down at the puddle of vomit, which encompasses part of his shoe.

"To be fair…I did warn you, in advance," she says.

"_God,_ what the hell is wrong with you?" Keller looks disgusted as he begins to wipe the vomit off with his mind.

"You looked like a toilet, and that's what toilets are for?" Laura suggests.

"Not baiting me into another fight, clone. Just get to cleaning those things."

"Wait, wait. I am _not_ laying a finger on those bacteria pits." Laura looks at him expectantly. "You're the telekinetic here…you don't even have to touch them. _You_ do it."

"Absolutely not," Keller says.

After bickering for about forty-five minutes, he finally storms into a stall and begins work, while Laura smugly examines her nails.

"What the hell is this?"

Laura's smug expression fades, seeing Logan at the door of the washroom. She'd been too busy patting herself on the back to pay attention to his approach.

"Um, I already did mine?" She tries.

"That's bullshit," Keller says, opening the door. "She came up with a million excuses until I started working. She's stupid, ugly, and lazy to boot. Real catch of a clone you got there, Mr. Logan, sir."

"Wha—" Laura glares at him.

"Laura, this job is for _both _of you," Logan says. "Don't make me supervise. 'Coz then your only tool for cleaning will be your toothbrush."

"Get in here and help," Keller says.

"God, fine." Laura pushes him out of the way as she enters the stall, and slams the door closed with a loud _BANG! _

Logan trades looks with Keller. "She's got a lot going on right now, kid," he says.

"_I heard that!_" Laura snaps.

**…**

"This one's plugged," Laura says.

Keller doesn't want to talk to her any more than he has to, but she's piqued his curiosity.

He peers closer. "How can you tell?" he asks reluctantly. It just looks like a regular toilet, like the dozen or so others that they've seen.

"The smell," Laura says. "It's really, especially stinky, kind of like you. Got something stuck in your U-bend?"

"Shut up." Keller considers the situation. Then he does an action that becomes a reoccurring nightmare for Laura: he causes a small tornado of mental energy in the porcelain bowl in an attempt to unclog the pipe.

"_**I HATE YOU!" **_A water-sogged Laura screams at him a few minutes later, when she's recovered her senses enough to breathe again.

"Damn," Keller says. "Who knew a toilet could blow up like that." He backs up gingerly, looking at the enormous mess of cracked porcelain, water, and disintegrated toilet paper. "Well, I vote I don't use my powers anymore."

"I strongly second that." Laura wipes a piece of tissue off her eyebrow.

"Have fun," Keller says, grinning.

"Wha—_wait a minute!_" Laura seethes. "Just because you're a freaking cripple—"

"You just agreed that I shouldn't use my powers anymore." Keller opens the stall door and steps out, pleased with himself, despite having ruined his favorite t-shirt.

"_**COME BACK HERE!**_" she calls, but he's already heading for the door.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Thanks for the kind reviews! Yep, Laura's quite a character...and in the future the story goes in depth about how she became that way. 

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 4-<br>**_

* * *

><p>"'Community service'?" Nori parrots.<p>

Laura closes her eyes and nods.

"That sucks."

"It's weird, too. I figured fighting with Keller was _already_ a community service. What gives? Why am I being punished for my noble actions?"

Nori winces. "Laura…it's different now."

"_What's_ different?" Laura asks.

"He's changed. I mean, for gods' sakes, he's lost his _hands._" Nori pauses. "I feel so bad for him. It could have been any one of us."

"I'm sure he loves all the special attention you guys give him now," Laura says. "If _I _was crippled, the exact thing I'd want—top of my list—is for people to start treating me differently." She grins.

Nori shifts. "Well, how are we _supposed_ to act? I was pretty much a dick to him before. I mean, not that he didn't deserve it…but _no one _deserves what happened to him. I can't bring myself to be mean to him anymore…and he's been pretty decent to me…"

"_**OH **_my god, you did not," Laura says, her eyes wide. "_**EWWWWWWWW, EWWWWWW, EWWWW! **_Nori, how the hell _could_you?"

Nori pales. "Shut up!" she says, noticing people are looking their way. "I didn't do _anything, _and I have no idea at all as to what you're talking about." But Laura can see in her eyes that she _does_ know.

"That's so disgusting," Laura says, in a slightly lower voice.

"Hey, come on…I didn't do anything…yet. But not like I haven't thought about it."

"That's nauseating."

"He's changed. Not just his hands." Nori pauses. "He's not that bad looking, either."

"What the _**HELL **_is wrong with you?" Laura exclaims, in genuine horror. "Nori…go find Dr. McCoy, _right now._"

"He's not here anymore," Nori says. "Our med go-to is Dr. Kavita Rao. But that's not what's wrong with me. You…you had to be here to feel the change, Laura."

Laura stiffens. "You're disgusting," she says, then gets up and stomps out of the cafeteria, her teeth gritted.

**…**

_Bump bump, _at ten AM the next morning. Laura twitches in her sleep; Nori, less sensitive to noises, does not stir.

_Bump, bump, bump. _Laura's eyebrows draw together in concentration. She is dreaming about hiding in a room, and hearing Kimura's boots on the stairs. They go: _bump, bump, bump, bump, bumpity-bump…_

"Come on!" Kimura says, but it's not in her voice: it's Hellion's. Laura whimpers in the dream (and out loud); she doesn't understand it, but it's even more terrifying than Kimura alone. Is the dream trying to tell her something? A connection between the two most hated individuals in her life?

"_**LAURRRRA!" **_There is a very loud pound on the door, and now she sits bolt upright, awake, and promptly hits her head on the bottom of Nori's bed. She scowls, then swings her legs out of bed as Nori peers down, confused. "Whadd…" she yawns.

"I'll find out," Laura says grumpily as she shuffles to the door, and tears it open.

"_**WHAT?" **_she snarls into the boy's face. He blinks, not having expected the action, nor suddenly being confronted by what may very well be a wild animal with fangs. Momentarily he forgets his annoyance at the fact that Laura has completely ignored the plan: to get the day's punishment chores done early, so he will have free time later.

"Uh—did you forget?" he asks, a little meekly.

Laura scowls some more, leans her head on the doorway. "Yeah. Why the fuck are _you_here, bothering me at this ungodly hour?"

"It's ten."

"I get up at _eleven, _at the earliest."

"Do you have a single good quality?" Keller asks, sounding exasperated.

"Probably not…but still more than you," Laura says, her nose wrinkled. Then her eyes widen. "_**OOOHHH! **_That punishment thing, right?"

Keller raises his arms in the air and rolls his eyes, forgetting that he doesn't have hands to complete the motion. Behind Laura, Nori watches this and cringes inwardly. If she had just been faster—if she had pushed him away—if she had _been_ there for him—

"Give me a bit," Laura says.

The boy looks more annoyed. "I already did. I want to get this done _now_."

"I'm not coming out there like this. I don't do free shows."

Suddenly, he is curious, and he tries to crane his neck around the door. Without hesitation, Laura grabs his face with her palm and shoves him backwards, slamming the door in his wake (and locking it for good measure). "There, _that's_how you deal with that little shit," she says to Nori, wiping her hand on the bed sheet. "I didn't want to touch it…but it's like killing a spider. You can either live in fear or give it a good thwack with your shoe."

"You're afraid of spiders?" Nori asks.

Laura shudders. "I swear to god. Why would _anything _have eight legs, Nori?"

"There's some kind of reason for it." Nori pauses. "And stop comparing him to bugs. Laura…you, uh, kind of called it the other day. You know. That I…like him."

"And I still say you're completely insane," Laura says, a little more calmly than the last time. "Why the hell would you pick Keller over David? I mean, weren't you guys like the Titanic couple?"

"David's not an option," Nori says, looking down and frowning.

"Don't _settle,_" Laura advises.

"But I like Julian. And I've already made my peace with the fact that David and I will never be anything more than friendly again. If even that." She thinks. "We're bad for each other, when all is said and done. David's too dark and dramatic…and I'm too practical."

"So you'd pick Keller, the reigning drama queen, to rule in his stead," Laura says, a little sarcastically. "I see how that's _remotely_ practical. I'm pretty sure his hair is so emo that it cuts itself."

Nori blinks, then grins. "Yeah, I don't like his hair long like that."

"I don't like having to see his hair at all. In fact, my quality of life improves when his head is nowhere near me." Laura reaches into the closet and begins digging for clothes.

After showering, Laura sweeps her hair haphazardly into a pony tail and exits the room, yawning widely. She spots Keller down the hallway a bit, leaning against the wall and examining his sneakers, his arms jammed deep in his pockets.

"What the hell took you so long?" Keller asks, with an expression of annoyance when he glances up and sees her approaching.

"My hand touched your face, so I cut it off and waited to grow a new one," Laura says, grinning at her own joke. "Oh, ouch, _very _ouch, huh?"

"Just shut up with the stupid hand jokes, okay?" Keller mumbles.

"I'm not stopping anything," Laura says gleefully. "If you wanted me to be considerate, you should've thought of it back in the days where you worked your way to the title of World's Biggest Douchebag."

He grits his teeth, but says nothing, surprising her. They head down the hallway, towards the Farming complex, for their day of penalty labor.

**…**

"It is so seriously unfair that you are allowed to use your powers," Laura says, wiping sweat off her brow. She's holding a hoe and breaking her back in the hot sun, while Keller sits under the shade of a tree, using his mind to move four hoes around.

"Shut up and get back to hoeing…hoe," Keller says, with his mean grin.

Laura plants the tool in the soil. "What'd you just say?"

"You heard me."

"I think I did, but I'm hoping I'm wrong. I don't need _more_ penalty work." Laura wrinkles her nose, thinking. How much trouble would she be in if she beat him to death with a garden hoe?

Keller is smug, knowing she won't do anything, and that even if she tries, he can more than protect himself. He pulls his arm out, to make a scale tipping gesture with his hand—and then his expression darkens. "Sonofabitch," he says under his breath.

"Hah," Laura grins. "I think I'll let the comment slide, seeing as you're just a bitter cripple who—_ugh!_" A clod of dirt bursts on her face, and she glares at the boy.

"Didn't have anything to do with it," he says calmly.

Laura turns back to her work, telling herself that he's not worth the effort. She can kill him with the flick of a wrist, if she wants. But she doesn't want to, does she? She knows that Keller's death at her hands would result in her permanent expulsion from the X-men. For some odd reason, they have chosen to keep the boy around. Laura supposes he could be a kind of mascot (or an example of what happens to mutants with a superiority complex). The thought makes her grin.

"What?" Keller asks, ten minutes later, when she's still grinning, having added onto this idea of him as a mascot. He's now become more of a test dummy, and she imagines Cyclops—in certain situations—throwing him in first to see what will happen.

"Nothing you need to worry about," Laura says easily.

**…**

They stop for a break under the tree and eat the sandwiches they had been given by Colossus (who was supervising the Farming sector).

"It's a beautiful day," Keller says, looking up at the clear blue sky (save for a few fluffy clouds). The sun is shining, and some birds can be heard in the tree above them.

Laura doesn't answer, simply stuffs more food in her mouth.

"You're disgusting," Keller says, after a moment.

They eat in silence until he speaks again. "So, you and Nori were talking about me this morning?"

Laura freezes. "You _eavesdropped?_"

"A little." He pauses. "She likes me, huh?"

"That's not my matter to discuss," she answers sternly. "Go and talk it over with Nori. Tell _her_ that you were listening in."

Keller grins. "Not when I can get it from you. What did you say? I couldn't quite make it out."

"Honestly? That's she's gone crazy, and you don't have a single redeeming quality. I advised her to go to the infirmary. Oh, yeah, and that we think your hair is stupid." Laura pauses. "We spent a while laughing at it, actually."

Keller looks annoyed, but hesitant. "You guys don't like my hair?" he asks.

"She thinks you should go with a Mohawk," Laura says, in a serious voice. "Also, that you should dye it pink. Nothing like a guy with hot pink hair."

"Shut up," Keller says. "You're such a _dick, _you know that?"

"Don't get me started on calling you names," Laura says. "I have a huge list in my room. Every day, I make it a point to sit down for fifteen minutes, and write twenty additions."

"Yeah, right." He looks thoughtful. "I dunno. I just never pictured myself with Nori, you know? Back in the day, we weren't friends. She wasn't what you would call a 'nice girl'. Lately she's better…" he pauses. "I guess things change. Maybe I should give her a chance."

"Why the hell are you telling _me_ this?" Laura asks. "I honestly don't give a flying squirrel fuck what goes on in that sick, emo little head of yours."

Keller looks sharply at her. "_Emo?_" he demands.

"Your hair is strongly reminiscent of the lifestyle," she says. "If you want, I have some eyeliner that you could have. I can see that you desperately need it to complete your look…and I'm a sucker for putting the finishing touch on things. Oh, and I'm sure Nori will loan you some paint for your nails." Laura grins. "Oops. _Ouch._"

"Your time is coming, Kinney," he warns, his eyes giving off a thread of green smoke. "Someday, you're going to get your ass handed to you…and you'll have chased away all your friends with that nasty yap of yours."

"Already has happened, quite a few times," Laura says calmly. "But it's my duty to point out how inadequate a human being you are. If I don't…who will?"

"Whatever." Keller surprises her by silently finishing his sandwich.

**…**

Later that evening, Laura decides to take a walk on the beach, and do some serious thinking, about what her future goals are, and where she's headed.

She has plenty of money…skills…smarts…and she describes herself as 'smokin' hot' (an idea supported by many men she's encountered)…but no real life goal. Laura realizes that a mutant does not really classify as the type to make elaborate future plans for houses and babies. But Laura also realizes that her life lacks more direction than most.

Who can she talk to about this? Laura thinks of her options. Wolverine seems like a good bet—at first. Then, when she looks at what _he's_ done with his life, she dismisses the idea. Psylocke also seems like a good choice, except she's spent a good part of her life dead, and probably hasn't figured much out herself. Emma Frost is another option, but Laura is leery. The woman will no doubt plant millions of ideas to convince her to leave the school, and even without the woman's mental powers, Laura is worried that Frost will give her an idea that will make her take off in a tangent, as she tends to do.

She thinks about her mother, and has a few moments in which her eyes moisten. Sarah had died when she was thirteen, three years after they had escaped the facility. This escape was just before the mindless murder spree that the director, Martin Sutter, had planned for his new Weapon X model. Sarah Kinney had died, ultimately as a result of Kimura's actions, when the facility was trying to recapture Laura. But not before she could give the girl three wonderful years of the love her life had been so starved of previously. These formative years had helped the girl to understand how the world worked, and she quickly pushed aside the dark past. She'd attended school with other children for a while, and picked up their mannerisms while forming the personality she would keep for the rest of her adult life.

Which, according to Wolverine, could be an incredibly long time.

After a long walk down Utopia's shore, she heads back up to the buildings, but pauses when her eyes catch sight of the observation deck—and the view beyond. A sucker for sight seeing, she ascends the stairs and gazes out as she leans over the railing, watching the stars come out.

Laura remembers her mother encouraging her to learn a career, and ponders the idea. Her, having a vocation other than that of assassin-slash-waitress? An astonishing thought hits her—should she _stop_ killing people for money? She grips the railing, intrigued by this idea, at the same time as she wonders why it didn't occur to her before. She whistles to herself, and looks out at the twinkling stars. _Maybe. _She tries to think of other things she could do. Doctor? Lawyer? Teacher? _I could teach here, _she realizes. But what would she teach? Ass-kicking-101? How to Kill Someone in Five Seconds and Get Away With it?

"…I think you know." Nori's voice floats up from the beach, as footsteps approach the observation deck, from under it. Laura looks down slightly, and notices that her friend is walking up the beach with Keller. Very closely together.

"What do I know?" Keller prompts her.

Laura realizes she is eavesdropping on a private moment, and makes a face. What should she do? She should leave—that's the decent thing to do. But then sick fascination overcomes her as Nori suddenly stops, the expression on her face strange.

"That my feelings for you have been changing," her friend says, somewhat shyly.

"Oh, really?" Keller doesn't seem surprised, and Laura gets the sense that he has staged this walk, in order to get Nori to make an advance.

"Really," Nori says. Her weird expression gets weirder, and she reaches up and wraps her arms around Keller's neck.

"Nori—I—" Keller says softly, and then—

"_**HYURRRK,**_" Laura interrupts as she throws up over the railing unexpectedly upon seeing her friend kiss Keller. She blinks as the couple looks up at her, and Laura grimaces, wondering how she is going to smooth over this suddenly very awkward situation.

"That was a celebratory vomit," she tries lamely, after about a minute of coming up with nothing better.

The couple continues to stare at her.

"I didn't have any fireworks for you guys," she says meekly. "Want me to go in and get some? Hey, I know! I'll get Jubilee and—"

"Jubilee's not here anymore," Nori says flatly.

"Well, fuck," Laura says, feeling like an even bigger asshole. "They might have some signal flares or something."

"I think that's okay," Keller says, finally able to speak.

"Okay. I'll just go in now." Laura moves to leave the railing, then her expression brightens. She digs in her pocket, then tosses down a foil packet containing a condom.

Keller catches it mentally, with a confused expression, then actually sees what it is, and his eyes bug out.

"That's my wedding gift," Laura says. "Have fun." She goes inside and almost slams the door, then runs to the room she shares with Nori and bonks her head on the wall a few times, cursing loudly. She is very upset with herself for not handling the situation appropriately. Despite her disgust at Nori's choice of romantic interest, she respects the other girl and does not want to interrupt her life.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5-  
><strong>_

* * *

><p>"Erm…Nori…" Laura says when her roommate returns that night.<p>

"Can we talk?"

"_**NO!**_" Nori snaps. "You ruined _everything!_ God, Laura! We were just kissing. Why'd you have to blow it so far out of proportion?"

Laura hangs her head, looking like a scolded child. "I'm sorry," she says pathetically.

"'I'm sorry' won't cover _this, _Laura! You made it just _so_ awkward for us." She pauses. "You're a terrible friend, you know that? No wonder you don't have anyone else who talks to you…let alone a boyfriend."

"I'm sorry," Laura repeats again, although her hackles are rising on the back of her neck. She rubs a fisted hand absentmindedly as it itches in reaction to the anger that Nori's statement has provoked.

Nori says nothing more to her that night, going directly to bed.

**…**

_**BAM! BAM! BAM!**_

Laura rolls off her bed with a start and falls onto the floor. Looking up, she sees feet under the strip of the door. She rights herself and gets up, then tiptoes to answer it, in passing noting that Nori still appears to be asleep.

Opening the door, she is confronted with the one person in the world that she would least like to see, not counting Kimura. She closes her eyes, and leans on the door.

"What?" she asks, her throat dry from sleep.

"Need to get at our chores," Keller reminds her, his voice civil and distant.

The following day is slow, boring, and at times awkward, as Laura finds the 'Unseeable scene' (as she mentally calls it) over in her mind every time she looks at Keller.

At lunch, he makes things even worse when he suddenly says: "I have something for you, Kinney."

He digs in his pocket, and pulls out the condom she'd tossed him.

"Oh my fuck," Laura says, turning red.

"Unlike _you,_ I don't give it all away on the first date," he quips, grinning meanly.

"Keep it," Laura advises. "If anyone ever offers to touch you there, you don't want to miss your only chance in hell just 'coz you don't have a rubber."

"Hah, hah," Keller replies. "I appreciate the gesture, but I'm a telekinetic. I don't use rubbers."

Laura takes the packet and tucks it back in her pocket, trying to ignore what he has just said. The thought of him doing anything in the bedroom makes her feel ill, but she is curious: what does he mean by his comment?

They return to work, and Laura forgets her curiosity and begins to (firmly) think of possible careers again.

**…**

"What's going on?" Nori demands, outside their suite as she pulls on her gauntlets with shaking fingers.

Laura brushes hair out of her eyes with a bloody hand. She is still wearing her pajamas.

"We're being attacked, by what appears to be a lone robot. David says it's acting really funny, like it's on a mission from the future, because it anticipates everything we do. He thinks it's a Nimrod or something."

Nori blanches at the mention of Nimrod. She rushes (along with Laura) to enter the battle. They do not have much luck in subduing it, until David comes up with an idea to take out the machine's 'chronal device'. Wolverine cuts the chassis, Mercury holds the incision open, and Nori overloads its circuits. It releases a parting shockwave of energy, catching Laura in the blast and slamming her into a pillar.

"_**LAURA!**_" Nori yells when the fight is over, seeing her lying on the sidelines, smoking and covered in serious burns.

She sits up and looks around herself, the burns healing slowly. "I'm going back to bed," she announces. Nori helps her there, and after removing her painful, abrasive-feeling garments, she promptly falls asleep as her healing factor goes into overdrive and uses all her energy to heal her.

…

The next morning starts off with the usual pounding on the door. Laura stumbles out of bed, tripping on the covers, and, after seeing that Nori's bed is empty, reaches the door.

She tears it open and scowls at the perpetrator.

"_**GO AWAY**_," she says. "I had a rough night, and I don't need you to make this a rough morning, too."

For a moment, Keller just stares—at a level below her neck—and Laura glances down, afraid that she hasn't healed properly. Then she starts as she realizes that she is stark naked.

"Holy _shit!_" she yelps, stepping sideways to use the door as a way to conceal herself. "Keller! You are _never, __**EVER**_ to recall or recount to _**ANYONE **_what you have just seen!"

Keller blinks. Laura peers around the door, and glares at him. "Understand?"

"Uh…" he swallows, then clears his throat. "Sure." A slow grin washes over his face. "Nice tits, Kinney. Had no idea." He pauses. "Where'd you get them?"

"From Wolverine," she reminds him. "And, _shut up! _You don't remember that…remember?"

"Whatever. Get dressed and meet me in the hallway."

_It just gets awkwarder and awkwarder, _Laura thinks as she picks out things to wear.

**…**

This is when Laura realizes she is going to have to leave Utopia someday soon, seeing as every time Keller addresses her—or looks her way—his eyes flit downward.

Lunch is terrible. As Laura tries to eat, he leans back against the tree and grins. "How about another free show?" he suggests lewdly. "Or I got a few bucks. Could help to recap the surgery costs for those things."

"Don't. I'm trying to eat," Laura replies, after a moment of struggling with her automatic gag reflex. She finds that she can't suppress it, and gives up, sliding her lunch back into its Ziploc bag.

Keller enjoys this reaction, which she regrets having given him. He finds way to harass her at every corner.

The worst is during the potato planting phase. She has to bend over slightly to drop the tubers into the holes. About halfway down the field, Keller grabs her from behind and mimes some motions she never wants to think about him doing.

"_**GET THE FUCK OFF ME!**_" she screams, popping her claws. Keller starts laughing and retreats.

Laura, although used to sexual harassment, is very disturbed by his new form of insulting her, and considers telling Cyclops. Finally she decides she will—as soon as the punishment is over, so that there will be no doubt that she is telling the truth.

**…**

_**Day 6. **_

Laura decides to handle the situation with military discipline. She starts by going to bed earlier, and waking up earlier, so she is ready when Keller bangs on the door (reasoning that she had better prevent any more incidents).

She also begins to stay quiet whenever Keller speaks to her, reasoning that not giving him the satisfaction of a reaction might make him tire of teasing her.

Unfortunately, that only seems to spur him into upping the ante. Having failed to extract any sort of response from her all day (except for talk related to their job), he waits until lunch time, then, as Laura sits down, he moves over and squeezes up against her side with a nasty smile.

"How's your salad there?" he asks.

Laura freezes with a forkful halfway to her mouth. She examines her tub of macaroni salad in horror.

"Relax, Kinney. I didn't do anything to your food."

She glares up at him, and notices that his eyes are smoking green; she follows his line of sight and notices the zipper on her tank top descending. In response to this, Laura hauls her arm back and punches him in the nose. She hears the sound of bone crunching against her knuckles.

"_**ARRRGH!**_" Keller shouts, automatically bringing his arms together in front of his blood-spurting nose. "Whadd da fubck!"

Laura grimaces. "Let me see it," she says, feeling bad. She hadn't meant to cause him bone damage.

"Day away!" Keller shouts, but she persists, shoving his arm stumps out of the way and surveying the damage. His nose is now leaning decidedly to the left.

"Dammit," she mumbles. "Okay, I won't lie. This is going to hurt."

She grabs his nose and twists it straight.

_**CRACK!**_

"_**ARRRRGH!" **_Keller roars in pain and bends over.

"Damn, Keller. I'm sorry. Let's go to the infirmary." She touches his arm to help him up, but he shakes her off and stumbles in the general direction on his own.

**…**

"You're eighteen, Laura," Cyclops scolds, as Emma Frost glares at her once again. "At what point are you going to stop acting like a five-year-old?"

Laura looks down. "I didn't mean to hit him so hard," she mumbles.

"Why were you hitting him _at all?_" Cyclops demands.

She grits her teeth. "Keller was harassing me. Sexually."

"A likely story," he replies.

"No, really. He kind of saw me naked a few days ago, on accident, and—"

"Stop right there." Cyclops holds up his hand. "Laura, if you're going to be this disruptive…I'm going to have to ask you to leave Utopia."

"_Me?_" Laura blinks. "Keller's the one who broke the rules here!"

"Even if he had harassed you, Laura…your response should be to find us," Frost says.. "Not physical violence. I know Julian well enough to say that your extreme measures were unnecessary." She pauses. "I will, however, have words with him on this matter."

"You believe her?" Cyclops sounds surprised.

Frost nods.

"Alright," he says. "You're not in trouble…unless this happens again. Like Emma said, you need to come and find _us_ when these things occur, in the future. And we'll speak with Keller about his behavior."

"Thank you," Laura says, feeling strange. _Frost _had believed her? And would fix the problem?

This is a change.

**…**

"Heard you were in trouble again, half-pint."

Laura turns her head, seeing her mentor, Logan. She closes her eyes and breathes in the cool evening air. "Messing in my business again?" she asks.

"Messin' means I care, Laura." Logan joins her at the railing. "What happened?"

"Keller got too familiar." She grins. "I broke his nose."

Logan also looks amused. "Laura," he says in reprimand.

"I'm perfectly within my rights," she says defensively. "He won't be trying _that_ again."

Her mentor sighs and looks out into the night sky. "I worry about you."

"I worry about me, too," she says.

"Where are you going with your life, half-pint?"

"I don't know." Laura looks down. "I wish Sarah was here to tell me."

"I know you do." Logan reaches out, puts a hand on her shoulder. "But she ain't, and you're goin' to have to walk your own path, kid."

"I know." Laura closes her eyes. "It's hard, being a clone."

"It's hard, _havin' _a clone," Logan says, but he's joking.

They stand on the balcony for a while in silence.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter 6-  
><strong>_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Day 8<br>**_

_Julian…a word, _Frost says mentally, as he and Laura walk by towards the field.

"Hey, I godda fee Frofd," Keller says, to Laura, his voice distorted by his swollen and bandaged nose. Both of his eyes have turned black underneath, as if he is a raccoon.

Laura nods, and watches him leave. Then follows him. She has _got_ to hear this…and her psychic barrier training will allow her to conceal her presence from Frost. She tracks Keller to the woman's office, and stands around the corner, leaning against the wall and folding her arms.

_**Ca-clunk, **_the door closing.

The sound of Keller approaching Frost's desk.

"Hi, Miff Frofd." Keller's voice.

"Julian," Emma acknowledges. "You are looking particularly lovely today. Might I add that you remind me of a prizefighter…who did not win the prize."

"You should fee the other guy," Keller jokes.

Laura, in the hallway, rolls her eyes.

"I think you know why I have called you here," Frost continues, her tone more serious.

"Actually, nobe, I don'd," Keller says.

"Your broken nose—as Ms. Kinney tells me—is a direct result of your inappropriate behavior towards her."

Silence.

"Miff Frofd—" Keller starts.

Laura smirks. How is the little worm going to wiggle out of _this_? She knows that Keller is really smooth and hard to catch for his indiscretions. She's been present at a few other disciplinary conversations, and has witnessed him escaping blame almost entirely.

"I'mb forry."

She blinks. Not the answer she'd expected at all.

"Julian, you know that such conduct is inexcusable, and beyond being a law in Utopia, is law in most of the world. You _cannot_ bother Ms. Kinney in this manner…or I will ban you from Utopia myself. Understand?"

Laura almost lets out a laugh. She'd never imagined their discussion would be _this _juicy.

"Yeah." Keller pauses. "Miff Frofd…I don'd know whad do do. She jufd hades be fo buch."

She stops, mid-breath. This is new.

"Julian," Frost says, more gently. "I know you don't want to hear my opinion of Ms. Kinney. But you must remember how damaged the girl is, as a result of her past treatment. You can't expect her to react normally to matters of the heart."

_Matters of the heart? _

"Bud I'mb crazy aboud her," Keller says.

For a moment, Laura doesn't understand. _Crazy? _Then suddenly she does, and she jerks upright, her eyes wide with horror. _Crazy? _She suddenly feels like her world is crumbling apart. Her life at the mansion has always had carefully defined ideas, her rivalry with Keller being very near the core of it (along with her respect for Logan).

"Be that as it may, Mr. Keller, you cannot change her mind if she does not return your feelings. And I doubt that harassing her will help the situation."

"I know." Pause. "She doefn'd ged thad I'mb jufd playing around. When she'f wadching…I jufd feel like I have do imbpreff her."

"Julian, you are still a young man. Ms. Kinney is not your only option."

"Yef she if."

Laura can't hear anymore, and takes off running down the hallway, her mind in turmoil. _So _many cans of worms have just opened. Like that she will never be able to see him again without remembering his almost pathetic, defeated voice in Frost's office. And that she knows his rivalry is just a front. Also that his insults are fake.

And _Nori. _

"Aw, hell," Laura mumbles. It's going to be just _so_ awkward, having to look at her lovesick friend in the face, and tell her why Keller has stopped pursuing her.

She heads down to the beach and walks for a while along the edge of the water, listening to the seagulls and weighing her options in her mind.

**…**

Laura sleeps on one of the four sofas in the Rec Room that night, having avoided Keller all day. She is thinking that maybe she should pack her bag in the morning, and blow this joint. Maybe she's disappeared for long enough that Kimura will have lost the trail. Laura catches herself thinking that physical torture at the woman's hands might be better than the social torture that awaits her here.

She wakes early the next morning and moves her stiff, cramping body. She hates sofas.

Suddenly she sits straight upright and looks at Keller, who is sitting on the couch to the side. He is looking at her.

"Hey," he says, and she notices what she hadn't seen before: she may have misinterpreted his expressions. The intense look—his eyes sparkling slightly, his mouth set in a sort of line—that he'd always worn around her, she had assumed was him looking for a fight. But maybe it's not.

_Holy fuck, _she thinks, cringing. Now she's going to be looking for visible signs, too?

"Um," she says. "Why are you here?"

"I was going to come get you for work today. Saw you out here so I figured I'd wait." He pauses. "Where'd you go to, yesterday? I looked all over."

"I had stuff," Laura says. She gets up from the sofa. She almost stretches, then catches herself. _Not here, _she reminds herself.

"Stuff?" he asks. She notes that his nose seems to have reduced in size; the swelling is going down.

"None of your business." She heads to the girls' dorm, and enters the room she shares with Nori. Her roommate is still asleep.

Quietly, Laura gathers her things, at first deciding against a shower, then reasoning that she doesn't know when she'll get her next one. She is done within ten minutes, then packs her stuff into a back pack and heads out the door.

She bumps into Keller again, who is coming up the hallway. He sees her backpack, and raises his eyebrows.

"Where are you going?" he asks.

Laura looks down, not wanting to see his expression anymore. Now that she knows what it really is.

"What? But we have to finish—"

"Fuck the stupid punishment, you know? Just _fuck_ it," Laura says angrily. "You people annoy the hell out of me. I can't take all the stupid rules…the drama…I'd rather take my chances on my own."

Keller looks surprised. "Oh," he says. He hesitates for a second, the look in his eyes changing to a softer one. "Laura—I've got to tell you something."

She bristles, knowing what's coming. "_**NO!**_" she barks. "I don't want to hear it. You take it like a man, Keller, and just move right on along."

Silence for a moment.

"You _know?_" he asks.

"Well, yeah, I'm not a blind idiot," Laura says dismissively. No need for him to know she had eavesdropped on his conversation with Frost. "Besides, I'm like the hottest thing ever. I'm surprised this didn't happen earlier."

"It did," Keller says. He's grinning slightly, at her description of herself.

Laura blinks.

"But—whatshername—Mantega?"

"That's why she left," he says. "Well, part of it."

"Oh boy," Laura says, feeling bad. "Well, lucky you have a rebound waiting. Ashida's more than willing."

"I don't want Nori. I want you," he says.

"That's great," Laura replies, backing up a step as Keller advances one. "You know, I'm glad we had this talk. Good talk. But, y'know, I got places to see, people to be…err.." she thinks. "Yeah. No, wait, the other way around. Anyways…this is goodbye."

"Will you come back?" Keller asks.

_Not a chance in hell. _"I dunno."

"I'll wait for you."

"Holy crap, don't do that," Laura says, alarmed. "Keller…I have _no_ intention of ever knowing you, in that way. You're a good rival…I guess you might be an okay friend if we could ever get along…but you and me? No." She pauses, remembering what Nori had said about herself and David Alleyne. "That would be like when a tornado meets a volcano. Total and utter disaster for anyone nearby."

"Or maybe like that, in a different sense," he says. He seems intent again. "I'm going to wait for you anyway, just like I have been doing. You'll come around. You can feel it too…I know you can. You want me just as badly." He grins. "If nothing else, the curiosity is going to kill you. So come and find me when you decide to be honest with yourself."

"Keller—" Laura says, then decides against it. "Bye. Try not to lose anymore body parts."

"I won't," he says, still looking amused. "You have fun with whatever it is you do out in the big, scary world."

They part ways.


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N:**_Had crap to do, lots of lots of crap...but here's the update now ^^ 

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

* * *

><p>Laura sits on the corner of a café, considering her plight.<p>

She can't seem to shake Keller's words from her mind. _Damn__ him_. He'd touched on the one idea that could cause her to lose control of herself: her curiosity. The same wild beast that she has to monitor severely, at all times; this is because the smallest suggestion can cause her to take off on a bizarre tangent.

She supposes this quality of herself comes from living half her life in a lab, isolated from the outside world which she longed so much to know about. If she doesn't satisfy her curiosity, it can almost drive her crazy, wondering what might have been.

_What__ plight?_She thinks, suddenly. _I__ don__'__t __have __to __think__ about __it__ anymore; __I__ left__ Utopia._

Feeling easier, she starts to eat the sandwich that had arrived twenty minutes ago.

**…**

Julian sits in his room, that night, thinking of everything that has transpired.

He can't believe that he's finally spoken to Laura about what he's felt for her since the time he first saw her: on the back of Logan's motorcycle.

**…**

_**Three years ago**_

He is standing on the lawn, wearing his squad colors, his arms folded as he glares up at the podium, at the other squad. At the boy that is holding up the big trophy.

"May I present to you the winning squad…the New Mutants!" Dani Moonstar says, with a big smile. The crowd cheers, and Julian closes his eyes, feeling his friends' disappointment as though it is tangible.

"Next year," Cessily says, with a smile.

"Mmm." Julian keeps his eyes closed.

An engine approaches in the distance, but no one seems disturbed. They all know the sound: Mr. Logan's bike. He comes and goes from the mansion constantly.

"The New Mutants have overcome difficult times together, and shown the greatest improvement amongst all the squads," Moonstar continues. "As well as winning the most field days. Wind Dancer…Prodigy…would you like to make a speech?"

"Yes," Sofia says, her smile very wide. Julian bites his lip. He feels very conflicted. He loves her—even though she won't give him the time of day—and therefore he should be happy for her, in her victory. But he isn't. He's burning up with anger.

The motorcycle grows closer, and then the engine stops at the mansion parking courtyard, a few hundred yards from the podium. Julian glances in that direction, his eyes not really seeing. He wishes he knew how to change what he is feeling, because he doesn't find hanging in this limbo to be pleasant. It's so conflicting, and confusing, and painful, too.

He suddenly notices that someone _else_ is getting off Mr. Logan's bike, having sat behind him. This someone else is taller than his teacher, and of lighter build. A girl. Julian tilts his head, studying her. She's dressed in a leather biking jacket, and has black, knee-high boots that are made of the same material. They have platform soles, and are covered in buckles and various silver decorations.

She reaches upward with pale fingers; he notes that her fingernails are painted black. The digits grasp her helmet, then lift it off; the girl shakes out the waves of shiny black hair that have been freed from their confines. The locks whip like ribbons in the breeze, as she looks up at the mansion. On her finely-sculpted face is a doubtful expression, like so many other students have worn upon seeing the school for the first time.

This newcomer is the most beautiful thing he's ever seen. Suddenly he doesn't give a rat's ass about anything else.

Julian opens his mouth slightly, riveted. Cessily kicks him in the shin lightly, but is smiling. She can see what's going on.

"Concentrate," she murmurs, just as Moonstar calls Julian up to accept the second-place prize.

**…**

Julian looks at the picture on his dresser; a lot of other students, himself, and Laura, in a yearbook photo. It's the one of the two pictures of her that he has, and it's also counted amongst his most cherished possessions. He never really sees any of the other students when he looks at it, just Laura, half-smiling, with Nori's arm around her. He can see a little of what she is wearing, but he'll remember that outfit till the day he dies. The dark grey sweater, with a black, leather miniskirt. Her lips are painted bright red, and her hair is flowing loose around her shoulders. He wasn't the only boy in the crowd who had looked, or that had feelings towards her; but he was the only one who kept desperately trying to get her to notice him.

Oh, she'd noticed him. It just hadn't been in the right way. They'd hurled insult after insult at each other, because what he was saying never seemed to come out right. It had gone a million times worse than his pursuit of Sofia Mantega.

But he'd always figured that she really knew the score between them…because Laura was way too smart not to.

When she'd left the first time, without saying goodbye, he had been completely shocked. He'd always figured that at some point she'd give in. Realizing it would _not _happen had put him into a state of depression. Soon after this, M-day had come, and then Sofia had left, declaring that she had no reason to stay anymore.

He hadn't really noticed at the time.

Then he'd been forced to become distracted by his own life, as his parents had abandoned him…as his friends died around him…and as he struggled to simply survive. He hadn't forgotten Laura, but at times his situation seemed so desperate that he finally decided he had to stop believing she would come back…because he didn't have room for another thing to hurt him.

**…**

_**Six months ago, the Golden Gate Bridge.**_

The noise in the air is deafening as robots soar overhead, blocking out the sky, which is tinged a deadly red by the bubble.

It reminds Julian of blood, actually. He's fighting beside Psylocke, the British-Japanese assassin, and fellow telekinetic. They are launching attacks at the Nimrod class robots, from behind a burning car. Which is burning because it has taken a hit for them.

"Hellion, concentrate on shielding us," Braddock orders, noticing he has dropped the energy field.

A green bubble envelopes the pair again. Julian grits his teeth, increasing the strength of the force field to meet an oncoming shock wave. It's hard to resist the incredibly powerful blows, which is like having his arms forced away by a body builder.

"Man…" he groans, starting to get tired, after about two minutes of deflecting blows. He holds up his hands, since he seems to get more power when he channels the energy through his fingers. He flexes his fingers, makes fists.

He's not sure how, or when it happens, but he finally runs out of energy at the same moment that a shock wave hits them. He watches, in numb disbelief as his hands suddenly disintegrate into dry dust, the sound lost amongst the dull roar around them.

There is no pain, and so much pain all at once that he starts to laugh quietly.

He becomes aware of lying on the ground, and feeling wet all over. The fluid is his life, he thinks dimly. It's leaving him. He watches through half-lidded eyes as people lean over him, yelling things that he can't hear, owing to the fact that his ears are filled with fuzz. He doesn't really care, either.

Julian gets to thinking about life, his life: what he's done with it, and what he hasn't. Some brief scenes cloud his vision. He sees some weird black shadows that flit in and out, figments that his brain is creating as it screws up. He's not all there anymore.

Then he thinks about Laura, and wonders what she's doing right now. Is she safe? What would she say about this? Would she be one of the ones here, now, leaning over him? Would—he fades away.

He wakes up later, in the infirmary, and Nori is smiling at him, painfully.

"Julian…" she says, and he realizes that he's missing something.

That things are going to be different now.

**…**

Seeing Laura again in the cafeteria had stunned him, how she suddenly had slipped back into his life. He'd seen it as a second chance in the first moment, but almost instantly it had gone wrong. She had begun to pick on him mercilessly, and he'd lost control of himself at the mention of his hands. He wants so badly to have them back, to not be a freak among freaks anymore. And to have _her _make fun of him…

It is only after the fight is broken up, after their fight, and the subsequent punishment is decreed, when they are finished for the day, that he gets to thinking: Laura _doesn__'__t_ treat him differently. He thought he loved her before, but increases to an almost burning need when he makes this revelation. He realizes too that their community service is a good opportunity…an excuse to spend time with her.

But again, it doesn't work out how he'd planned it. He just can't manage to tell her what he's really thinking. He'd tried to make her jealous by bringing up Nori; this hadn't worked at all. He'd gotten hopeful when she'd caught them on the beach that night—the night in which he'd meant to let Nori down easy, had tried to tell her he couldn't just as she kissed him—but it hadn't done anything except to make Laura behave like she wanted to spend even _less_ time with him.

Seeing her sans clothes a little while later had completely exceeded his expectations, and had added even more to his determination. He can still see her that way when he closes his eyes, even though it was barely for two seconds. Her now-curly hair framing her pale, creamy skin. And her breasts…she looks even better than he'd imagined.

The wave of desire that had washed over him had made his throat hurt.

He wishes he had handled things differently—apologized for looking—told her how beautiful he thought she was—the things he _really _thinks about her—but for some reason, again, the words just didn't come out right. All he'd managed to do was make her sound like a cheap whore, which was so far from the truth he wonders _how _the words could have come from him.

He usually doesn't have _this_ kind of trouble with girls. They might find his other ideals to be abrasive, but usually he knows how to treat them right, and what to say to get them to blush. Apparently Laura is an exception.

So now that he's finally managed to get it out in the open, Julian feels a sense of shock. She _knew _all the long_?_He'd stopped believing that she had known when she had left the first time, and later had returned; but Laura has claimed otherwise. She hadn't known earlier, though, when Sofia was around. He wonders what changed, when she figured it out. If she was shocked, or if she'd gradually noticed what his behavior really meant.

He realizes now that he didn't tell her what he thinks or feels for her. Even this confession of how he feels for her has been half-assed; it contained mostly the fact that he's so confident he is that _she__'__s_ the one that wants something. _Christ._Julian moves to rub his face with his hand—and buts himself in his nose, with his arm stump.

No one hears his grunt of pain.


	8. Chapter 8

_****A/N: ****_Dear Liu: Fuck you. Love, onelildustbunni. PS: Happy holidays everyone!

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 8-<strong>_

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><p>Laura spends that night in a decrepit hotel room, on a cheap mattress practically crawling with germs. She closes her eyes and dreams.<p>

**…**

She walks out of her room, with her backpack on her shoulder, and sees Keller waiting in the hallway. He raises his eyebrows at her.

"Where are you going?" he asks.

Laura looks down, not wanting to see his expression anymore. The intent look, that for a long time she thought was just hate. "I'm leaving."

"What? But we have to finish—"

"Fuck the stupid punishment, you know? Just _fuck_ it," Laura says angrily. "You people annoy the hell out of me. I can't take all the stupid rules…the drama…I'd rather take my chances on my own."

Keller looks surprised. "Oh," he says. He hesitates for a second, the look in his eyes changing to a softer one. "Laura—I—"

She bristles, knowing something is coming. But she doesn't stop him.

"I have to tell you something," he says, moving closer. His arms are touching her waist, and she looks up again. "Go on," she says, then bites her lip. But he doesn't use words; she feels pressure against her mouth, and her body—and warmth. Tingling. She breathes in deeply, feeling like she is melting. When she pays attention to her surroundings again, she is pressed up against the wall of the hallway, and he is murmuring things in her ear, caging her with his arms as he—

…

"_**AHHHHH!**_" Laura screams, bolting upright in bed. She's covered in sweat, and her heart is pounding a million times per minute. She blinks, staring at the mirror across from her bed, seeing how disheveled she looks.

_What kind of cheap, B-rated romance novel was _that _from? _She wonders. She sniffs the air, then flexes her fingers, letting go of the sheets, which she was twisting in her sleep.

Laura begins to curse loudly.

**…**

"Julian," Nori says, finding the boy sitting on a log by the water's edge. "Are you okay?"

"I will be." He's gazing out at the water.

She hesitates, then sits down beside him. "You want…her…don't you?"

He doesn't answer. Nori reaches out, hesitantly, and rubs his shoulder. "I...I understand, Julian. I figured it out a long time ago." She pauses. "That's why I was so hurt, when that balcony thing happened. I could see your face when you saw her there."

"Yeah," Julian says quietly. "Sorry."

"It's okay." Nori folds her arms against herself. "So what are you going to do now?"

"Wait," Julian says.

"Really? You just let her walk away again?"

"She knows now." He closes his eyes. "I can't force her into anything she doesn't want. And if space is what she needs…and time…it'll happen when it happens…if it happens. All I can do is hope it will, someday."

Nori hesitates. "We could, y'know, make do till then."

Julian smiles grimly. "That won't work, and you know it. You'll get hurt every day when you realize I'm not in it." He pauses. "But if you want to be my friend…I could use someone to _talk_to, sometimes. Being alone can be very lonely."

"Don't I know it," Nori says. "Want to go out and get something to drink?"

**…**

"I'd like to check out, _now,_" Laura says, at the motel's desk.

The dirty-looking, bald-headed man wearing a stained undershirt and a flannel top, grins.

"Musta been some night."

"Excuse me?" Laura asks, pausing with folded money bills in the air, between her fingers.

"Sure sounded like you had fun," the man says. "I pass through every so often to use the washroom down the hall. Every time I did, I could hear you moaning like you were a bitch in heat. I mean, _damn_, girl."

"Oh my fucking god," Laura says, desperately. She snaps at the man to hurry up, then storms out of the motel doors and marches to her bike, seething. This week has been one disaster after another.

**…**

Laura eventually stops at the side of a forest, and cries, for the first time in years, as she slumps over her handlebars. She's confused. She doesn't want to feel this way—she was comfortable and satisfied with Keller as an enemy. She doesn't want to know anything about him, or think that he's waiting for her in that pathetic way…or that he seems to like her so much he can't get the words out.

She considers: would things have been different if he had simply spoken to her differently, when first meeting her?

**…**

_**Three years ago**_

Laura enters the rec room, her hands in the pockets of her coat. Beside her is Logan, who is holding his arm around her shoulders, his expression stern.

"_**KIDS!**_" he barks. She watches all the kids jump and look up, obviously afraid of him.

"I got your attention? Good." Logan pats her shoulder. "This here's my clone, Laura Kinney. She's basically what I would be, if I was a girl."

_Oh god. _Laura closes her eyes. She wants to stab Logan, but the thing is, he thinks he's helping her out. He _means_ well.

"She has my ears, and my nose…and my claws, and yes, she can kill you if she wants to." He pauses. "So don't make her want to." He grins. "Consider yourself introduced, kids. Have fun." He turns to Laura. "I'm gonna go get a beer. Have at it, pick some friends."

Laura looks back at the group of kids, and knows any hope of making friends has just been thoroughly obliterated by her very helpful mentor.

"Um, hi," she says awkwardly.

"Hi," one girl—with a shock of blue hair, and slanted, Asian eyes—answers back, with a grin. Laura relaxes slightly; maybe there's still some hope.

"Nice intro."

"Tell me about it," Laura says. "Like your hair."

"Thanks," the girl says, getting up and holding out her hand, which is encased in a big metal glove-like mechanism. "Nori Ashida. I'm also called Surge…I have these electrical powers. Oh, and I can move super fast."

"That's—" Laura says, returning the handshake, but another person has jumped up: a boy. They study each other for a moment in appraisal. He's fairly good looking, with even features—neither fine nor rugged—fair skin, black hair, and bright, intense blue eyes.

If she was looking at him in a photo, she might say that he was attractive. But in person…there's some quality hanging around him, that instantly grates on Laura's nerves. Overconfidence. A kind of superiority complex.

"You don't want to make friends with _that_loser," he says. He sticks his hand out, too, with a smirk. "Julian Keller."

Laura raises her eyebrows.

"_God,_Keller—" Nori says, looking irritated, then turns to Laura: "Meet Hellion. His power is to be the world's biggest jerk."

"I can see that," Laura says, wrinkling her nose slightly and not taking his hand. He quickly folds his arms.

"Ashida's power is insignificance," he says. "You'll make a big mistake if you associate with her. I'm powerful…and I'm going places. And so is anyone who's my friend."

"If by places, you mean _to jail_, that statement makes sense," Nori says.

"Shut up, Ashida." He grins at Laura. "Being Wolverine's clone, you've got to represent him properly. Now—what do you say, _Laura_?"

Laura smiles back at him, nastily. An appropriate comeback has just popped into mind. "No thanks. And just so you know, I didn't shake your hand because I can smell the _jizz_ on it with the _nose_ I got from _Wolverine_. Try washing them after you jerk off."

Some other kids grin and laugh; Keller scowls. "That's not—"

"Come on, Laura, I'll show you my music collection," Nori says, pulling her new friend away.

**…**

What if he had introduced himself differently? What if he had given her a smile—like the sometimes genuine ones he had made at Mantega—and had simply welcomed her to the school? Would she have received him differently? Would they have fought less?

_Probably. _Laura bites her lip, as more memories come to mind. Times that Keller has been mooning over her, without her ever realizing it—or admitting so to herself.

**…**

_**Three years ago**_

__Soon after her arrival at the school:

Laura is in the middle of the Danger Room as the kids perform self defense class, under Cyclops's watch. They are dodging Sentinel blasts, and have three minutes to find a way to disable it. Points are taken off if it falls down, potentially injuring civilians.

During Laura's turn, she effortlessly dodges the attacks, moving like she is a cat. She's a teenaged girl, raised for exactly this kind of work, with years of experience. She's flexible, strong, and moves like forked lightning. Not to mention the unbreakable, razor-sharp claws in her hands and feet, making every cartwheel and flip deadly.

In forty-three seconds, her simulation is over, as she works her claws out of the back of the Sentinel's CPU. She retracts them and makes a hand-dusting gesture; the other kids beneath her stare.

"Good work, Laura," Cyclops says.

_"__**SIMULATION COMPLETE**__," _ the Danger Room's robotic, female voice says. Then the Sentinel shoulders—which Laura has been kneeling on—disappear, and she starts to fall back to the metal floor, with a surprised noise. Her impact is soft and fleshy, however, because Keller is nearby—and catches her with his arms.

"Nice moves," he murmurs in her ear.

Laura ignores him, puts her feet on the floor, and pushes him away rudely, without a word. The other kids had laughed, and Keller had flushed slightly.

Later that day, Keller approached her as she was speaking with Nori about music, and had randomly dissed the band they were discussing—and then insulted their taste in music. The argument had come to fisticuffs, and Keller had gotten her into a headlock, then blown up a puddle of mud in her face with telekinesis. He'd taken off laughing.

A series of retaliatory fights between the two had begun.

Months after this, Laura found out that Keller listened to the same band in question when she'd had to visit his room—for some laundry that had accidentally been sent there by housekeeping—and saw posters of the group on his wall, as well as a row of albums.

She had been very confused.

**…**

_**Two and a half years ago. **_

Laura is having lunch in the cafeteria with Nori when Keller walks up.

"Kinney, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Both girls give him hostile stares, their eyebrows raised.

"Uh, no," Laura says.

"Come on." Keller looks annoyed.

"Go fuck yourself, shithead." She sticks out her tongue for good measure, and Nori grins.

"Fine!" Keller snaps, and storms off.

About a week later, it is yearbook photo time. Laura hates the very premise, but is talked into it by Logan and Cyclops. Her mentor takes her out shopping, to get something 'halfway decent' for the photo shoot, and dance, afterward.

She picks out a couple of separates for her formal wear, and a simple black one-piece dress for the dance, with spaghetti straps. She figures no one is going to be looking her way anyways, since she is feared by most of the students. Except for Nori, they have tended to keep their distance.

At the picture, she stands with the New Mutants, even though she's not on a squad, having expressed the desire not to participate in the 'stupid events'. Nori puts her arm around her shoulders, and they smile brightly. After this are the individual pictures, for the yearbook. Laura hates her picture but does not redo it.

The dance follows this, and she goes with Nori, not caring for any of the guys, and having not been asked by anyone. They stand on the sidelines and trade snide comments about all the couples.

Keller approaches, with Mantega, who is smiling, her cheeks rosy from dancing. She sees Laura and her face falls slightly.

"Having fun?" he asks the girls.

"We were, till _you_ showed up," Nori replies.

"You said it," Laura agrees.

"Jeez, you don't need to be such—" he looks at Mantega, who doesn't like swearing. "—idiots all the time."

"Oho, Keller's calling _us_idiots?" Laura says. "That's rich."

"Julian…please…can we go get some punch?" Mantega asks. "This is not the time or place."

"Yeah," Keller says, suddenly looking tired. He follows the girl, and out of the corner of her eye Laura sees him turn his head for a second and look at her.

**…**

About four months later, she had left the school, without saying goodbye to anyone (except Cyclops, who had caught her at the door). She hadn't given Keller a second thought. Occasionally she reminisced about the school, but these memories were mostly of Nori, and the students in general—and a few of the terrific fights Keller and her had gotten into. But she had never remembered those weird moments before.

_Now_ she sure does. Laura sighs, looks down at her ignition, knowing she has a choice ahead of her.

**…**

"I like it here," Julian says, his arms still shoved in his pockets, and a glass filled with beer in front of him. They are sitting in a small, noisy, mutant-friendly pub (purchased by Worthington) at the San Francisco waterfront, splitting an appetizer and watching TV in relative silence.

"Yeah." Nori takes another piece of calamari. "It's a nice place to come and think. Me and Cessily come here sometimes to discuss…well, our situations."

Julian looks down at his glass. "Great, so I'm part of the broken-hearts club now?"

Nori grins. "Seems like it."

"Just what I needed." Julian raises the glass with his mind, and takes a large swallow. "Lost my family, most of my friends, my hands…my money…and now the girl too. Do I really have anything going for me?"

"At least you're alive," Nori says quietly. "And you have your powers. _That's _something."

"Yeah." Julian hesitates. "You and David—"

"I don't know what his deal is," Nori says. "He barely talks to me anymore. I don't know if he's angry at me or what."

"David's an idiot," Julian says. "You're—I know I said a lot of shit to you at one point, Ashida—but you're pretty much my only friend now. You know you deserve better than that." He drains his glass.

"Maybe," Nori says. She smiles slightly. "Thanks. It means a lot."

"Don't mention it." Julian looks defeated. "If only I could've told Laura what I really thought about _her_. For some reason, it always came out bass-ackwards."

"That it did," Nori says. "Well—I'm surprised she didn't just figure it out way sooner. I'd watch you two argue sometimes, and think that you should just get a room already."

"_**WHAT?**_" Julian asks, louder than intended.

"Face it. You two really enjoyed fighting. I think you kind of got off on being so evenly matched. I don't know how Laura managed to convince herself that you were just enemies. You don't devote that much time and energy to someone if you truly hate them."

Julian stares at Nori. "What—_really?_"

"Sure," Nori says. "She'll probably come around at some point. But if I were you, I wouldn't _wait. _I think you're only going to achieve it by pushing her over the edge. Or somehow making her realize that she cares about you, too."

"Huh." Julian looks at his now-empty glass. "Maybe I'll go after her."

"But we should have another round first," Nori says. "_**BARTENDER!" **_she calls, over the noise of the pub.

Neither notices the girl sneaking glances at them from around the edge of her booth, nor do they notice her getting up and walking towards the bartender as he pours their drinks. A packet of powder exchanges hands, along with a wad of money.


	9. Chapter 9

****__**ANNOUNCEMENT: **_Two new stories-_Like a Boss: Tainted Love_ and _We're in This Together Now,_along with the update wave! Enjoy! :o)_****

**_A/N: _**Thanks for the review! :o)

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 9<br>**_

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><p>Laura is sitting at a bar as she chews over the decision at hand: leave or stay?<p>

She hasn't left San Francisco yet; she won't until she is sure of her next actions. The more she thinks about things, the more that leaving Utopia bothers her.

No. To be honest with herself, it's leaving Keller this way that bothers her.

Is it pity?

Or is some part of her, in some way…receptive?

Laura isn't sure. She is nibbling on a tray of appetizer; nachos, dripping with cheese. Before her is a shot glass—about the fifth she'll have had tonight—as well as a beer glass. She's trying to get drunk, in the hopes that she'll have a revelation.

"Hey there," a male voice says, on her right. She turns slightly; it's a stranger, a fairly attractive man, perhaps in his mid twenties. He has an easy grin, and a look of appreciation, and hopefulness. She knows what he's hoping for.

She then notices are that his eyes are brown, and she feels vaguely disappointed.

"This seat taken?" he asks.

"No."

She watches him sit down beside her, and he grins. She gives him a small smile back.

"I've been watching you from across the bar," he says. "Such a gorgeous thing like _you_ shouldn't have to sit alone."

"Mmm." Laura feels vaguely repulsed. She hates flattery like this. But maybe her problem is that she hasn't been with anyone in a while. Maybe this haunting background thought will go away if she relieves her urges.

"You also seemed sad," the guy continues. "I couldn't imagine who could hurt something so beautiful. Made me hurt, too."

"'Sad'?" Laura parrots, looking at him.

"Yep," he said. "And lonely. I think you're trying to figure something out."

"I am." Laura takes a sip of beer.

"Try talking about it?" The guy offers. "Or maybe you just need a distraction. Going at the problem with a fresh mind sometimes helps."

"Maybe." Laura eyes him. "You are?"

"Chuck," he says. "And what might your name be?"

"Anna," Laura says without hesitation. "I figured getting drunk would solve the problem."

"That'd do the trick," he agrees. "So, what's your problem?"

Laura blinks. Here, she's being asked to describe the situation to a stranger, in simple terms. It's not as easy as she had first thought it might be.

"I just found out that my enemy doesn't return my hatred," she says.

Chuck grins. "It's a pretty thin line between 'love' and 'hate', you know."

"Maybe," Laura says. "I left—the area that he lives in. But I'm not far enough away yet."

"You're wondering how you feel about it."

"Well…I don't know. He's such an asshole." Laura's voice hardens as she describes him. "Other people say that's not what he's like. I don't know anymore."

"Asshole in what way?" her companion asks.

"Well—" Laura pauses. "We've fought, almost since the moment I met him, at the school we both went to. He acts like he's so superior, and talks shit to me. He'll argue just about anything I say. We've even had smack downs, for real." She grins a little.

"Sounds like you enjoyed being his opponent."

"I did," Laura admits. She thinks of the rush she always experienced when tussling with Keller in fights on the school lawn (of which there had been several). Her heart had pounded in her ears, and her skin had tingled. Had that been something other than the exultation of battle?

She has no prior experience to base this off of. Even at her old public school, she'd assumed all of the boy-girl confrontations were pure hatred, since that was all she knew until she was ten years old.

"It also sounds like he was trying to get your attention." Chuck says, raises his eyebrows. "Men will do just about anything to impress a pretty girl."

Laura says nothing, fingering the chip in her hand over and over before finally eating it. She nods slightly, in agreement. This is also true, when she thinks about it.

"Come with me tonight," her companion says. "I'll take your mind off all this. Maybe it'll give you a better idea of what you need to do."

He leans a little closer; Laura knows what he's about to do. Kiss her. She starts to respond, hesitates, draws back. "I—"

Suddenly, the TV in the corner of the bar catches her attention. Her eyes shift upwards; Chuck follows her gaze.

"…_as a terrorist situation develops at the U.N. building, in New York City," _the reporter, a woman with curly blond hair, says, her expression serious_. "The team of mutant vigilantes known as the X-men has just sent the government warning of two mutant students. These individuals have been kidnapped by the anti-mutant terrorist group known as the Sapien League, and injected with the modified Legacy virus that will eventually cause their mutant powers to go into overdrive. The students will then, essentially, become explosive bombs that could potentially destroy the entire U.N. building complex. Evacuation methods have begun, as the fact that this is a real threat became apparent."_

Laura stares at the TV, at the white van, out of which a blue-haired girl has just charged, surrounded by a halo of blue light. Behind her is a burst of green, that she would know anywhere.

"Keller," she breathes, turning pale.

"What—" Chuck looks up at the screen, at Keller, whom has just fallen to his knees on the pavement. "_Him? _A _mutie? _Are you _serious_? Muties are—"

"I'm one hundred per-fucking-cent serious," Laura says firmly, shoving her stool away from the bar. "I have to go. Thanks for the heart to heart."

"_You're-?"_ Chuck asks, also turning pale at the thought that he'd almost picked up a mutant.

Laura is already stomping towards the door, her fingers in her pocket as they withdraw her bike keys.

…

"_**PIXIE!" **_ Laura bellows, having finally tracked the winged girl down, in the rec room, with the other students, watching the events on live TV. "I need you to teleport me to the U.N. building. Stat."

"Laura—" Mercury stands up, and there are tears running down her face. "There's nothing you can _do. _Once someone is injected with the virus, there's no hope for them. Don't you remember Chicago? Beautiful Dreamer?" She pauses, her features trembling. "Cyclops already sent out a team to try to at least save the civilians."

"_**PIXIE!" **_Laura demands, ignoring the girl. She pops her claws, near Gwynn's face, threateningly. "Do it."

"But…" Gwynn is crying, too.

"Just get me there. You don't have to stay." Laura's voice softens slightly. "I can't sit around and do nothing."

Pixie hesitates, then nods, and gets up off the couch.

"_**SIHAL NOVARUM CHINOTH!**_" she says.

**…**

_**POP!**_

Laura is suddenly in the middle of a deserted square. She turns her head and sees the van from TV; she looks up more and sees the pair, on the steps, struggling with several of the Sapien League operatives. She heads towards them, her claws still out from threatening Pixie. Her chest is tight.

The first stab is made with her right foot claw, as she swings her foot up in between the legs of the man holding Keller in a chokehold. "_**URGH!**_" he yelps, immediately letting go.

_**"SHIT!" **_one of the three remaining men yells, seeing his comrade fall. Laura's next stab goes sideways through the back of the neck of the man restraining Nori. She pushes him out of the way, and walks up the steps calmly, her claws dripping.

The man who had yelled out starts to plead, too scared to try running. "Lady—I—I have a family. I have kids. Please."

"_**GOOD!" **_Laura rams her fist toward his face, her claws finding his eye sockets as she twists her hand. He falls backward, still alive, but in terrible pain.

"L-laura…" Keller calls from the ground.

"Not _done,_" she says savagely. One man remains, and he is standing by the U.N. building's entrance, mesmerized by the scene of destruction in front of him. He suddenly snaps out of it, whirls around, rips the door open. Her claws catch him in his kidneys, and she leaves him lying on the ground, jammed between the door.

She returns to the steps, and sits down with the pair, who are sprawled out, hovering on the brink of consciousness.

"So," she says.

"That…" Keller raises his head, looks at the man lying on the ground, who is groaning and holding his crotch.

"Notice how I didn't kill them?" Laura's expression is hard. "That's because they're going to die at the _exact same second we do_."

"Don't…" Keller looks back at her. His forehead is covered with sweat. "Laura…leave."

"I don't know if this is going to kill me, but we'll find out, won't we?" She folds her arms, her claws still ejected.

"Why'd…"

"Shut up, Keller." She reaches out hesitantly and puts her hand on his back. "I'm amazed you even have to ask that, you know. Since when would I pass up the chance to see you d—" she can't finish the quip, and she looks down, her eyes wet.

She doesn't know how she feels, right now; but she knows, with absolute clarity, that she doesn't want him _dead. _

"Laura?" Nori looks up, on her other side. "Oh man…you need to get out of here."

Keller's eyes begin to smoke green.

"Well, at least it's a great day," Laura says, looking up at the sky. "The X-men are getting close…I can hear their engines."

"They can't do anything." Keller says, hauling himself up to his elbows. "Laura…please, go away now. I don't want you here."

"This is exactly where I need to be," Laura says. "I tried not being there already." She pauses. "And that sucks. You have no idea how guilty I felt."

Keller smiles, just slightly. "You could…stop a lot of destruction, you know." He eyes her claws.

Laura's eyes widen. "No. No, I can't, Keller. That's the virus talking."

"I'd rather the choice be mine," he says. "I always figured you'd be the death of me…anyways."

A shadow passes over the courtyard; the Blackbird.

"They're here," Laura says.

"Great." Keller lays his head down on the stairs. "I want this…to end. It hurts. My head feels like a fucking melon that's going to blow up."

"It feels horrible," Nori adds. Her eyes have started to release energy too.

"I once ate some bad chicken wings at a sports' bar," Laura offers. "Man, a healing factor _does not_ help with food poisoning. I had stuff coming out of both ends."

"I'm glad I got to hear that before I snuff it," Keller says. "How much longer you think, Nori?"

"Five minutes?" Nori says. "Maybe longer…if we let the energy out?"

"_**KID!**_" Logan's voice, at the bottom of the stairs. Laura looks at her mentor.

"Get out of there!"

"I'll leave when they do," she calls back down.

"No, _now!_" Logan looks concerned, and angry. "I know you're hurtin', Laura, but—"

"Laura…please. I don't want you to die." Keller hauls himself up to his elbows again, takes a deep breath, and sits up. His eyes are glowing more intensely now. He reaches out and touches her cheek with the inside of his wrist. "I'll admit…I'm glad I got to say goodbye. But this is _really_ going to suck."

"I'm not leaving you guys," Laura says stubbornly. "You're all I have. Well, besides Logan there, but sometimes he's just about the worst father figure _ever._"

"_**I HEARD THAT!**_" Logan roars up the stairs.

"Before I go…there's something I should say to you," Keller says.

"Don't." Laura closes her eyes. "You'll make it worse."

"This sucks…" Nori moans. Laura looks at her friend, holding her head. Her hands are bare, her gauntlets having been stolen by the Sapiens League.

"_**LOGAN!**_Get Pixie to bring Nori's spare gauntlets!" Laura yells down the stairs. Her mentor has started walking up to join them, his expression serious. The other X-men are at the edge of the courtyard, looking nervous.

"Half-pint, _listen_to me. We have to go. There's nothing you can do."

"You'll have to fight me," Laura says stubbornly. Out of the corner of her eye, she notices that Keller's mouth is starting to smoke green too, something that has never happened before. His powers usually show only in his eyes, which turn from bright blue to flaming, smoking green. They are almost white now.

If only they weren't mutants, Laura thinks, squeezing her eyes shut again. Her life wouldn't be so fucked up…she'd know what to do about Keller…and her only friends wouldn't be dying. If only—

Her eyes snap open.

"_**LOGAN!**_" she yells again.

"Kid—" he says, now at the same level as her. He looks sad behind the mask.

"Get Leech over here," Laura says.


	10. Chapter 10

_**Chapter 10  
><strong>_

* * *

><p>"Laura, you're a <em>genius<em>," Keller says in a hoarse voice as he lays back on the stretcher-bed, an icepack on his forehead.

They are in the Infirmary at Utopia. Leech is now sitting on a couch that has been installed at the end of the sick room, playing with a handheld PSP, Frost having temporarily unlocked his powers so they will remain on whether he is awake or sleeping.

Laura's hunch had been proven to be correct. Without mutant powers to run into overdrive, the modified form of Legacy virus is no more harmful than the common cold. Treatment is simple: Tylenol and icepacks for the headache and fever, and IV's for the fluids lost earlier, when the pair were perspiring heavily. In the meantime, Dr. Rao and Beast—who has been called back to Utopia—are working on finding a more permanent cure.

"Took you long enough to figure that out." The girl smoothes his bed sheet down.

He grins at her from beneath the icepack, which conceals his eyes. "I've _always _known that, Laura." He hesitates. "Did you think about what I said? When you left?"

She plays with a stray thread on the sheet. "Yeah. I don't know yet, Keller. I'm kind of undecided." She pauses. "You're…well, I knew I didn't want you to die…but I didn't want Nori to die, either…and I'm not into her that way."

His lips form an _O _shape. "That's food for thought," he says, in a dreamy voice. Laura smacks him in the solar plexus.

"_**OOOPH! **_Jeez!" he exclaims. "I'm a sick man! You shouldn't hit me."

"You're sick in more than one sense of the term," Laura agrees. She debates for a moment. "You are right that I'm a little bit curious. About…you."

"Just a little?" he asks.

"A little," she restates. She smoothes out his comforter again. "Maybe more."

"Let me get this straight. You got my hopes way up when I was about to die…hell you were going to die _with _me…and now that I might live, you're seesawing?"

"Shut up, Keller," Laura says, blushing slightly. "I should go. Logan warned me that if I stay near Leech too long, I can start getting Adamantium poisoning from my claws. I hear _that's_ pretty nasty."

"Julian." The boy's voice is firm.

"Huh?"

"I want you to call me Julian." He pauses, then grins at her slowly. "It's weird if you call your boyfriend by his surname."

"Keller, I am _**NOT**_—_**WE ARE NOT**_—in any way, shape, or form, a couple!" Laura gets to her feet. "The most I would _ever_ consider sharing with you is a pity fuck. _Ever. _If I was seeping whiskey from my gills."

Keller's mouth opens.

"I didn't know it was that easy!" He sputters. "Why the hell have I never taken you out drinking before?"

"You are _the end_." Laura storms out of the infirmary and slams the door; Keller looks pleased with himself. Yeah, what he'd meant to say _still _hadn't come out as intended, but he can tell she's considering things.

_Please, God, if you're up there…_he thinks, looking at the ceiling.

"Way to go, Keller," Nori calls weakly from the next stall. "I think I've figured out your problem with girls. Sounds like I dodged a bullet there!"

"Shut up, Ashida," he calls back, annoyed.

**…**

"Laura…you need to get some rest," Logan says.

His clone is staring out over the railing, on the observation deck.

"Have you eaten?"

"Not hungry."

"Kid…"

"I'll do both later." Laura shifts. "I'm edgy right now. What if they can't find a cure? Leech isn't able to spend the rest of his life with them. A slipup would be too easy."

"I have faith in Hank." Logan pats her shoulder. "You stressin' ain't gonna help the situation."

Laura finally nods. They go back inside.

**…**

"I'm so sick of lying in bed," Keller says, two weeks later.

"You shouldn't have gotten yourself infected, then." Laura is leaning over his head, her eyes on his face as she runs a razor over his skin, moving piles of foam. "I'm just amazed that you _can _get a five o' clock shadow. I mean, you're the most immature person I know...I figured you were doomed to peach fuzz forever."

"I use my mind to shave, usually," he says, ignoring the insult.

"I guess that'd do it." The girl rubs a washcloth over the area. "There, done. I can't believe I agreed to do this." She runs her fingers over his smoothened chin and jaw, then freezes when he puckers his lips.

"Oh my god, _no!_" she says, withdrawing her hand and wiping it on the bedspread.

"I hate having my powers turned off," Keller complains, realizing he can't stop her, his arms attached to a thick cluster of wires and IV lines. "I also hate having no hands. It's never hit me as hard as it has now."

"Poor baby." Laura sits back in her chair. "You're way too whiny."

"And you're mean," he says. "Hey, wait—you're supposed to be my hands right now, right?"

"Apparently."

He looks at her, then down towards his legs.

Laura blinks, at first not getting it. Then:

"_**KELLER! EWW, EWW, EWWWWWWWWWWW!**_" Laura jumps up and backs away, her face twisted in revulsion. "How the hell could you even _think _of that?"

"Like you haven't." He grins at her.

"Where's your kidney tray? I desperately need to vomit." She does look a little green.

"Cut it out!" Nori mumbles sleepily from the other makeshift room. "Other people have to share the soundscape with you jerks."

"A celebratory vomit?" Keller asks, grinning.

"More of a defense mechanism." Laura glares daggers at him and sits back down, folding her arms. A few minutes pass in silence and her face slowly relaxes. He waits patiently. Then..."We're nowhere near that point," she murmurs.

"But we will be?" he prods, with a hopeful expression.

"I don't know." She reaches out to smooth his bedspread again. "Let's…let's not make plans. If this doesn't work out..."

Keller knows what she means, and suddenly feels guilty.

"Okay." He moves his arm slightly, touches her hand on the bed. "I'm sorry."

They sit in silence for a while, and as he dozes off, he notices her hand caressing the stump of his wrist

**…**

"Unfortunately, I just don't believe it can be done," Beast says gravely, a total of a month and a week after the Legacy Virus has been injected. "I could spend a year trying to isolate the virus microbes…and would probably be no closer to finding a cure than I am now."

Laura hangs her head; Keller is blowing out air, and Nori looks close to tears.

"This is even worse!" she says. "We've been hanging on for a month and so…to get told that we're going to die _anyway?_"

"I'm sorry." Beast sighs. "This is not my choosing."

"So now the question is…pull the plug now, or wait for the terrible accident?" Keller asks.

"We could work on replicating Leach's ability, in a device form," Beast says.

"Thanks, but I need my powers back. Besides being useless without them…I don't have hands," Keller says. "I'd rather die than know I was a time bomb. There's just too much that could go wrong."

"If that is your wish…we could discuss options," Beast says. "A more permanent, secure option...such as metabolic suspension in stasis."

"Whoa, whoa!" Nori shouts. "Keller might not want a device…but _**I**_sure as hell do! I wear gauntlets anyway, what's another thing that keeps me from blowing up?"

"It's your choice," Beast says.

"Keller—" Laura touches his arm. "Don't give up, please."

"I don't want to be an invalid all my life." He scowls. "I'd die inside…which is worse."

"I'll give you some time, to think it over," Beast says. "And, Nori…I will begin to work on plans for you. Leech…may I draw some blood samples?"

**…**

"Laura, I know it sucks…but I can't stay. Think of how crappy my life would be."

"People learn to overcome obstacles."

"Not me. I'd become so nasty…you have no idea."

"I do."

"No, you don't." Keller studies her face. "Laura, it wouldn't be fair to anyone here, to have to live with a time bomb who can't contribute anything to the community." He smiles grimly. "How's that for mature thinking?"

"You're being selfish," Laura murmurs.

"I am?"

"Maybe some better solution will come up. Maybe it's just temporary. A lot of crazy things come up for the X-men." She pauses. "Besides…I've decided…I'll take care of you."

"I don't need a nurse, Laura."

"That wasn't—well, it kind was what I meant. But I mean—"

Keller stares at her. "Why do you dangle things like this in front of me when I'm debating my mortality?"

Laura smiles slightly.

"Dammit." Keller sighs. "I—this doesn't change my mind. But damn you for making it more difficult." He reaches up and strokes the inside of his wrist against her brow; she closes her eyes and leans into his touch.


	11. Chapter 11

_**A/N:**_Thanks to all who have reviewed this story, and to anyone who's enjoyed it! I'm glad my work can entertain others.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 11<strong>_

* * *

><p><em><strong>A week later:<strong>_

"I can't go on like this," Keller says grimly. "I'm sorry. I've thought about it heavily every day, and I can't take it."

Laura squeezes her eyes shut.

"I'll get Emma," Dr. McCoy says gently.

**…**

"Hold on a second, Hank," Cyclops says. The doctor turns, having been explaining the stasis option more thoroughly as he stands beside Keller's bed, holding a syringe. A syringe that will put him in a death-like state, with unknown side effects should they ever attempt to awaken him.

In his case-with the Legacy virus feasting on his cells-complete stasis is necessary. A psychic coma won't be enough. The stasis pod will freeze him in his current state.

Laura is in the corner, her claws extended, hands shaking even though her arms are folded across her chest. Logan is standing with her, and Emma Frost is by the boy's side, holding his arm. She's going to make sure his mind shuts down safely.

All eyes turn to the organizer of Utopia. And then to the unusual-looking boy by his side; unique because he looks like he's made of solid gold.

"Hi," he says, raising his hand in greeting.

Frost jerks her head up, giving Cyclops a direct look. He grins.

"Elixir here is our newest Utopia recruit," Summers says. "He also happens to have a gift that might be very handy just now."

"Unless he can heal…I don't especially want him here, right now," Keller says. He hesitates. "No hard feelings, buddy."

"Actually—" Cyclops turns to the newcomer. "Josh, you want to fill them in?"

"I'd rather demonstrate."

"Fine. Emma, could you go to Cerebra and disable Leech?"

Frost nods and leaves briskly, her cloak sweeping the floor and her heels clicking energetically with each step.

The inhabitants of the room examine each other. Julian watches Cyclops, and the boy, trying to figure out what's going on. Obviously, the newcomer must have some sort of healing powers. Can he really cure him?

He glances up at Laura, who is also watching the newcomer with a scrutinizing look. She's figured it out, too. Julian thinks about how she'd come to stand beside him for this, even while making it clear that she didn't support his choice.

Will he get a second chance?

"Done," Emma Frost announces as she sweeps back into the Infirmary. In the adjoining unit, Nori lets out a moan, and Julian feels a small wave of panic as he feels pressure behind his eyes. His powers are returning.

Josh approaches the bed. "So he's a Legacy victim?"

"Yes," Frost says.

"They cut his hands off, too?" he asks.

"That happened earlier," Keller says.

"You've got really bad luck."

"I don't need you to tell me that." Julian closes his eyes, and feels the boy touch his wrist. "What—_HTT_—"

The room fills with a bright white light like a camera flash, but longer. "Yeah…I can feel it…wrapped around his X-gene, feeding script in…" Elixir looks like he's concentrating very hard. "It's organic, though, so I've got it. _Damn,_it's really got itself wedged in there."

"_Focus,_" Frost orders.

The light becomes stronger, and suddenly blinding. Then it disappears, and Elixir lets go. "Should be okay now," he says.

"_Should_be? Or will be?" Frost demands.

"Will be." Elixir gives them an easy smile. "So the other one is in the next unit, right?"

Keller is staring at the ends of his arms; Laura follows his gaze and starts. His hands have pushed through the bandages that previously capped off his wrists.

"Uh—" he starts to ask.

"_**WHAT'S GOING ON IN THERE?" **_Nori calls anxiously.

"You can get out of here now, Keller," Cyclops says, moving to follow Elixir into the next unit.

"Hey there," Elixir's voice says, to Nori. Silence.

"Are you going to fix me?" Nori asks finally.

"I'll give it a shot."

Keller, meanwhile, is still staring at his hands mutely.

"We should give him some time," Frost says softly to the others. "He's just had a shock."

She herds everyone out of the room.

**…**

"Hey."

Laura looks over her shoulder at Keller, who is stepping out onto the balcony. She doesn't answer him, just glares.

"I know you're mad at me." He flexes his fingers. "Damn, these things are _awesome._ I don't think I'm going to be using anything else to lift stuff for a while."

Laura remains silent.

"Please—" he reaches out, touches her shoulder. She pops her claws; he steps back immediately, overprotective of his newly acquired hands.

"Keller, stay the _hell_ away from me." She's still angry about his previous decision.

"This had nothing to do with you." He pauses. "Like I told you…if I didn't have hands…or TK…I can't tell you how horrible I would've become. I'd have been a bitter, useless—"

"Veteran," Laura cuts in, her tone cool. "It wasn't like you cut them off for the fun of it."

"No," Keller says. "Come on. Can we forget it, for now? I'm really worn out from the past few days…plus I have some things I want to do to you."

Laura struggles with herself. She's hurt and angry at Keller for his decision, but part of her admires his nobility in his choice.

"_Do _to me?" She wrinkles her nose. "How about _no?_"

He takes her hand in his. "This is what I meant, pervert." He grins. "Doesn't it just feel fantastic?"

"I _hate_ you," Laura says, unconvincingly.

Keller reaches up with his free hand and runs his fingertips along her jaw line; she freezes, but doesn't stop him. She's never been touched by him before, in such a gentle manner. He takes a few moments to feel her features, gathering his courage. He's afraid to do what he's been wanting for so long. He hesitates, moves in, then pulls back.

"Oh, for fuck's sakes, do I have to do _everything?_" Laura grabs the back of his head and pulls him in all the way, quite violently. He's convinced his heart stops when he finally feels her lips against his. After a few seconds Laura pushes him away, and he takes a few steps in reverse. Both are breathing a little faster.

"Jeez, I thought you were going to bite my face off," he says finally, not meeting her eyes.

"Way to drown me in _drool_," Laura replies, also avoiding his gaze.

When they finally look at each other again, they both blush furiously. It was probably the most amazing feeling either had experienced, and they both know it. Laura mildly regrets pushing him away, but it felt too intense. It scared her.

"Well—I guess I'll go to bed," Keller says.

"It's seven o' clock," Laura points out.

"I've had a long day." He rubs his neck, then backs away till he hits the doorframe with a loud _**THUNK!**_

His expression is sheepish as he makes his exit.

**…**

_**After dinner in the cafeteria the next evening:**_

"Want to go for a walk?"

Laura looks up from her plate, on which she has been pushing around her food. She sees Keller, who is giving her an easier looking grin than she has seen him wear in a long time.

"Not really," she says. "I'm _eating._"

"I haven't seen you take a bite for, like, twenty minutes."

"I caught sight of you and now my gag reflex won't shut off."

Keller rolls his eyes. "Come on."

"Fine." Laura starts to get to her feet, but he holds out his hand to help her up. "Please, allow _me._It's like the best thing in the world."

"I'm mighty tempted to cut them off again."

Outside, they stroll along the darkened edge of the water. Laura closes her eyes and breathes in the fresh ocean air, trying to let go of the agitation that has plagued her for the last few months of her life.

"It feels so weird," Keller says seriously. "Getting a second chance like this. Like I cheated death somehow."

"You did." Laura pauses. "Now you know how I feel all the time."

"But that's your power. _This_ was totally out of the blue." Keller stops. "What am I supposed to _do_ with my life now, Laura? I had to be saved for a purpose…right?"

"I don't know." She also stops. "Finding purpose is something everyone has to do for themselves." She hesitates. "Including me."

"But you always seem to know what's you're doing." He looks surprised.

Laura smiles—a true smile—and he catches his breath. He's never gotten her to do that before. As he stares, she notices that his hair is being lifted by the breeze. She seems to struggle for a second, then reaches up and slips her fingers into the roots.

"If your hair gets any more emo, it's going to start writing poems." Laura says in a soft tone, smirking. "You _really_ need to cut it."

"Done," he says, grinning. Her fingers slip down to his cheek as he leans closer. Their eyes slide shut at the same time, and each feels they are better prepared for the whirlwind of sensation that is to follow. _This time will be longer._

Then Laura's eyes snap open, and she jerks back, looking up the hill. Keller, not seeing this, continues the movement and-meeting thin air-almost keels over.

"Someone's coming," she says.

He rights himself, a flush of embarrassment appearing on his cheeks. "Oh," he says, feeling stupid.

At the top of the hill, motion becomes apparent; Nori and the new boy, Elixir, appear at the top, walking close and laughing about something.

Laura raises her eyebrows. "_Huh." _

"What?" Keller asks.

"_Them._ I didn't see that coming."

"Seriously?"

Nori has caught sight of them now, and she approaches. Keller studies the other girl's face and notes that she looks happy.

He hasn't seen her look that way in a while now.

"Hey, guys," she says.

"Hi yourself," Laura says.

"Isn't it a great night?" Nori says. "I feel like I've got a whole new lease on life. This must be what heaven is like."

"Yeah, _just_ like heaven," Keller says, a little sarcastically. "If your heaven involves nearly dying by an act of genocide."

"Not that. The aftermath." Nori grins. "So, I guess you two are a thing, huh?"

"Absolutely," he says, at the same time as Laura screws up her face and shouts _**"NO!" **_

Pause. He looks at her, confused. "What the hell?"

"I forgot." Laura hesitates. "I don't know. Little fucker certainly is persistent, I'll give him that."

"Heh." Nori glances at Elixir again, as if not believing he is there. "Well, we're going for a walk. Bye, guys!"

"I don't want to follow them," Keller says, after the other pair has headed down the beach in the direction _they _had been planning to travel. "Go the other way?"

"I think I'm done for the night," Laura says, her eyebrows arched. She feels like things are happening too fast, and she has the urge to balk. She isn't used to things like this.

"But—" Keller looks like he's been cheated. "We were just about to—"

"Goodnight." She gives him a falsely sweet smile, then turns and heads back for the dorms.

**...**

_**A week later:**_

Laura comes across Nori sitting in the entertainment room, with Cessily, during the evening. On the coffee table is a bottle of whiskey.

"Hey," Nori says.

Laura pauses, then takes a seat on the sofa opposite. "Where's your new boy toy?" she asks her friend.

Nori grins. "Cyclops sent him over to the mainland to help with some people injured in the big Nimrod attack."

"Oh." Laura leans back on the couch and folds her arms. "So you're happy, huh?"

"More so than I was before." Nori looks down. "I still miss David. That's never going to stop. But—I can't wait for him forever, either."

Cessily's expression is full of weariness. "I wouldn't recommend it."

"Kevin still isn't all over you?" Laura asks, blinking. "I thought you two were, like, made for each other. Literally."

"He left," Cessily says. "Went with another girl at the school. They both died, in a Sapien's League attack."

"Oh." Laura again feels bad for not being present, and also stupid for not noticing Kevin's absence. _Way to be a good friend_. "Well…at least you had closure, right?"

"Right." Cessily looks ready to cry.

_I really should just leave, _Laura thinks flatly. _I'd be doing them a favor._

"How are you and Julian doing?" Nori asks. "Like, _really_doing?"

"I—I don't know." Laura pauses. "This is all a little overwhelming. It's new territory for me." She pauses. "I've never considered having anything more than a one-night-stand, you know."

The other girls stare at her.

"You've _done_it?" Nori asks finally.

"Was I not supposed to?" Laura counters, innocently.

"No, I'm just—I don't know, _envious _I guess." Nori pauses. "Maybe now I will."

"I'm saving myself for marriage," Cessily says firmly.

Laura grins. "I don't see that in my future." She leans forward, grabs the whiskey bottle.

"Have you and Julian-" Nori begins.

She chokes on the swig of whiskey she's just taken. _**"HYURRK! COFF! COFF! **_Uh-" she waves off her concerned friends. "_**COFF! COFF!-**_no-_**urrrk!-**_no we haven't. I don't know. It's…_**COFF!**_...different. It could get messy. _**COFF!**_"

Her friends exchange glances, then Nori grins.

"I think you should just get it over with," she says. "If you hesitate too much, it'll never happen…and you'll regret it." She frowns. "That's how it went with David and me."

The girls talk late into the night.

**...**

When she finally goes to bed that night, Laura tosses and turns. She finally gets up, knowing she isn't going to fall asleep; she has some thinking to do.

So she goes to her thinking spot, on the balcony. Except someone's already there; Betsy. The older woman turns her head as she senses the younger girl approaching—and she smiles warmly.

"Laura. We haven't had time together lately, have we?"

"No," Laura answers. "I guess we've both been busy."

"That we have." Betsy shakes her head. "Crazy life."

The girl joins her at the railing and looks out into the dark ocean, feeling the breeze on her face. "I—er—nevermind."

"You need some advice," Betsy says, sensing her more-than-shouted thoughts. "About relationships. Oh, _dear,_kids grow up so fast these days."

"I'm pretty sure I was grown up when you met me," Laura says, a little defensively. "I've never really been a kid. Not even when Sarah was around."

"No, you haven't," Betsy agrees. "You've done remarkably well with the life you were given." She pauses, then smiles. "Laura, everyone's been where you are. And my advice—if it's going to happen…let it."

"Let it?" Laura echoes.

"Let it." Betsy nods. "Just enjoy it. I've held myself back too many times, for various reasons. Who knows? I could be an old married woman right now, with a family…if I hadn't said no." She sees the girl's horrified look, and laughs softly.

"Oh Laura...it's not a bad thing. It's natural…and you know it is."

"Maybe." Laura grapples with herself. "But—it just feels—I'm not _used_to this."

"You _are _out of your element," Betsy agrees. "Maybe…just maybe…if you don't know what to do, let _him _show you what he has in mind?"

"Keller has _a lot_in mind," Laura comments.

"And you don't?" Betsy asks.

Laura considers this, _really _considers it. "Not like that. Well, not that ideas haven't...popped into my head, lately. With me trying to make up my mind." She hesitates. "But I don't think it'd be a one-night stand kind of thing."

"I see." Betsy leans on the railing.

"That's what I'm worried about. I'm not cut out for...well, you know. Staying in one place, with one man. Or boy, rather." Laura looks at the water. "It's just…too fast and too much."

The older woman nods slowly. The girl glances back up at her, obviously seeking her opinion.

Betsy closes her eyes.

"Life is short," she says gently. "Some things need to be fast, Laura. If it took too long for couples to get together…no one could have children." She hears the girl make a choking noise, and grins. "Oh come on. You already know that's the biological plan. We exist to breed. That's how the world has worked for a very long time now."

"Not _my _world!" Laura declares.

Betsy nods again. "Maybe not your world...but _ours._ Ours needs to move this way." She looks at the girl. "It doesn't mean _he's _the one…I can't tell you that, Laura, only you can find that out. But wouldn't you rather find that out quickly, instead of wasting massive amounts of time waiting on the _wrong _person?"

Laura considers. "I guess," she says, skeptically, her nose wrinkling.

"You'll figure it out." Betsy pauses. "Now if I could just take my own advice…wouldn't the universe be a happy place?"

The pair grins, and then the subject moves on to other things.

**…**

Julian is staring in his bathroom mirror, at two in the morning. He needs to contemplate the overwhelming events of the past few days. Almost dying, then being saved—more than that, being _restored_—and now, Laura.

He hadn't expected kissing her to feel _so _good. His comment about her biting the other night had been totally untrue. He could have continued it forever, if she hadn't pulled away.

Last night on the beach had been maddening, when she had _left _after taunting him with the opportunity to repeat the experience. He'd had to grit his teeth not to say something mean, in a moment of exasperation. But he figures it must pay off in some way, as giving her all the time she wants can only impress her. At least it can't hurt his chances.

So he'd forced himself to walk away, his new hands in his pockets.

_At least I have those now, _he thinks.

His hands, his wonderful hands. He hasn't used his telekinesis a single time today, except to sheer off about four inches of hair shortly after slamming his quarter doors shut. Then he'd hunted for a dusty bottle of gel that hasn't been used since a little after Laura had left the school the first time. He'd found he has enough left to get him through till the weekend, when he can go to town again via the ferry.

And when he can bum money off Ms. Frost. _That _thought had made him grit his teeth again, but looking at himself in the mirror had helped to dispel his irritation. No doubt putting effort into his appearance will help push Laura over the edge.

_No doubt. She'll be all over me, _he'd thought, styling his shortened hair with his newly regained fingers, to see how the cut looked. _I have no doubts. _

A moment had passed, and he had gazed at his reflection and seen the truth in his blue eyes, no longer hidden by hair.

_My doubts about this are bigger than an elephant. My doubts have their own set of doubts. Altogether, I have more doubts than there are issues of National Geographic._

He'd hung his head then, nearly admitted defeat. He never used to doubt himself, or his abilities, or his attractiveness. Now all he can do is wonder if he's enough, if he's sufficient, if he pleases. This applies to all areas of his life, but the Laura Situation especially drives it home.

_Why did I ever fall for her? She's the world's biggest __**ASSHOLE! **_he thinks vindictively. This holds for a moment, and then the truth wins out yet again. He feels guilty for lying, even in his head.

Laura's competition for that title is staring back at him in the mirror.

"Fuck my _entire life!" _he snaps at himself, throws the bottle of gel across the counter. It skitters across with a hollow sound and lands in his open toilet.

He closes his eyes.

_Tap tap tap, _on his door.

Julian stomps over and wrenches it open. _**"YEAH?" **_he snarls.

Of course it's Laura, her fist still raised in the air. Her expression is a good imitation of someone who has just been screamed at by a cougar.

"...should I come back later?" she asks timidly.

He grips the doorframe, closes his eyes. _Smooth, Keller, really, really smooth._ "No, no. I'm sorry. I...I didn't mean to yell at you."

"Okay." Laura pauses. "Were you talking to yourself, earlier?"

"Nope." His face feels hot with the flush that rises to his cheeks. _Shit, I can't even _lie_ anymore, _he thinks, glancing at her and seeing a doubtful expression._ God _damn _it._

"Whatever," she says, dismissively. "Why aren't you asleep?"

"I was...thinking...bout...um...stuff." He pauses, knowing that's a very lame explanation. _Fuck everything. _"Why aren't _you_ asleep?"

"Oh...same." Laura brushes a strand of hair behind her ear.

He raises his eyebrows. _Okay, maybe that wasn't so bad. _

"Well..." she shifts, bites her lip. "Uh, I dunno. I'm trying to make a decision about something...maybe you can help me."

Julian leans his head against the doorframe. "I'd love...like...to help you." He cringes inwardly. _You're a walking disaster, _he tells himself. _I want to leave your head, and I'm your fucking _brain.

But to this Laura gives him an amused glance. "Really?"

"Um, sure." He pauses. "Anything to help a...girl. A pretty girl. I like pretty girls." He pauses again. "Can I see your claws?"

Laura smirks. "Problem, Keller?"

"I can't seem to shut my mouth, and dumb shit keeps coming out," he confesses, his forehead wrinkled.

"That is a very apt description of the way you communicate," she agrees, folding her arms. "You should reflect on yourself more often. It can only lead to improvement...because there's just no way you can get _worse._"

Julian sighs, gazes at her. "Did you really come by at two in the morning to take shots at me?" he counters.

She sobers. "No, I came to ask for your help with my...decision."

He feels relief. "Well, what's the decision?"

Laura takes a deep breath. "Fuck you, or walk away."

It takes him a moment to realize this isn't an insult. "What the-why would you ask me a question like that?" he replies, his hand reaching up and burying itself in his hair as he tugs at the roots.

"I want to hear your input."

"You mean feel it."

Laura raises an eyebrow.

"Well, how the hell am I supposed to answer a question like this?" He's annoyed now. _Great, that's going to reassure her. Calm down. _"Laura...it's in my own best interest to encourage you to...you know."

She waits.

Julian closes his eyes. "You want to hear the real truth?"

Laura nods. He doesn't need to see it.

"Don't walk, _run._" He lets this sink in. "I'm a complete mess. I'll haul you down with me, fast, in the nastiest way you can think of. Seeing as I've lost everything good I've ever had in my life, it follows in logical order that I would lose anything I gain in the future."

"You got your hands back," Laura points out.

"Only so I can find out that everything I touch turns into shit." He pauses. "Or dead ladies. I just fuckin' know that every girlfriend I ever have will become a victim."

Silence, for a few moments.

"Well, you sure make a convincing case," Laura says, sounding amused again. "Now let's here the _Pros _of sleeping with you."

"I have absolutely none," he says flatly. "_None._"

"Oh, come on." She steps closer. "There must be _one. _Isn't everyone's biological purpose to breed?"

He pauses, gazes down into her eyes. They are a brilliant shade of green. "It would make me really happy?"

Another few moments of silence.

"Well..." Laura's voice wavers. "Damn, you make a good case."

Julian blinks. "Are you _insane?"_

"Not really." She pauses, gives him a look. It's a new look-her eyes are all big and wide, and her lips are parted, slightly puckered-_kiss me, _he labels it mentally. "No more than you are, she whispers.

_Just do it, _his brain orders. His body is less than a second behind-he takes her face in his hands, inclines his head, and kisses her long and hard. All the pent-up feelings seem to flow into it, despite his best efforts to restrain them. Laura stiffens. _Back off! _ his brain shouts now, and a moment later he wrenches himself away. "God-Laura, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" he says, terrified that she's about to run away. She has this look on her face, like he's just done something shocking.

Something horrifying. Like shooting her. Or stabbing her. Or-

Then she's on him, her arms snaking around his neck, her mouth on his again. He steps back in surprise, grabs at the doorframe, but she has momentum. She backs him up all the way to the bed, then rips off his shirt with a loud _shrrrip!_

Julian sinks down on his mattress, confused. "But-"

"I made up my mind." Her fingers are at his belt now. "Now, don't talk. Do. Undress me."

He lets her work for a few more moments as his brain slowly catches up that the instructions it had imparted had been met with _success_. Then he catches her hands with his, kisses them, and begins living out one of his biggest dreams.

**…  
><strong>

_I must be dead, _Julian thinks, stunned, as he gazes down at Laura's head, resting on his shoulder. He can't seem to connect the dots. _Or dreaming. Or-wait, no-in a coma. There we go. Definitely in a coma. _

She shifts. It feels so real. He tightens his arms.

"I need to breathe," she murmurs.

"Sorry." He forces himself to relax.

She sits up suddenly. He sits up too, afraid. Is she leaving? _Oh, god, what if she leaves the island? _His heart hammers in his chest.

"Is that a picture of me?" Laura asks suddenly.

"Huh?" he asks, clueless.

"That." She's pointing at his dresser.

"Uh—" he swallows, his mouth going dry. _Uh oh. Red flag. Red flag! This could be bad._

She crawls up to the edge of the bed and reaches out, takes the yearbook photo frame in her hand, studies it. The one of her, alone. Now her eyes are angling upward again, and she exchanges the photograph for the other one, the group picture.

Laura replaces it with a _clink!_ and then turns to him, her gaze full of question.

_Oh my god. _

"What are these?"

"Um." Julian flushes. "I can explain."

She waits. For about a minute.

"...I can't," he whispers, miserable.

Laura raises her eyebrow. "That's pretty...creepy. You have _pictures _of me?"

His brow wrinkles. "You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," he says. "Of course I'm going to have pictures."

A few more moments pass. He rechecks his words, and is astonished to find that they're actually not that bad. He's managed to _compliment _her. This stuns him, and apparently her, because she's not saying anything.

It's been a while, actually.

"Laura?" he asks, a little afraid.

Slowly she smiles. "I think I made a good choice tonight," she whispers. As she crawls up beside him again, and flops down.

_Yep, I must be dead, _he thinks, amazed.

* * *

><p><em><strong>~ Finis~<strong>_

_**A/N: There is a sequel forthcoming. HAHAHHA betcha thought I was done with them. Hardly.**_


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